


Principessa

by Mary_West



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Blood and Gore, Bodyguard, COVID-19, Coronavirus, F/M, Fingerfucking, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Lava Pits as a metaphor - no actual lava involved, M/M, Minor Character Death, Oral Sex, Slow Burn, Smut, Snakes, Twitter: reylo_prompts, Unreliable Narrator, Virgin Rey (Star Wars), mafia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:21:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 54,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24819073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mary_West/pseuds/Mary_West
Summary: Rey Jackson is the granddaughter of Mafia Don Palpatine. Kylo Ren is Palpatine's trusted Capo. Trusted by Palpatine, that is. The spoilt princess that Rey seems to be does not trust this guy one bit. So when a hit is placed on her head by a rival family, Palpatine orders his Capo to take the granddaughter somewhere safe while the problem is ... sorted out.But Kylo had joined Palpatine's "family" with a very different agenda. One that definitely did not include being babysitter to a spoilt brat.From this prompt: https://twitter.com/galacticidiots/status/1272181170428616707.Cover byAlantieIslander.Layout of the Cabin: https://www.dropbox.com/s/t1aw0o72o763maq/Kylo%20Ren%27s%20cabin.png?dl=0Corellia Town Map: https://www.dropbox.com/s/dhotrr8a80f3a9v/Corellia%20Town%20Map.png?dl=0Church layout: https://www.dropbox.com/s/xrizgtkfwls7s71/Church%20layout.png?dl=0
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 225
Kudos: 313
Collections: Galactic Idiots Collection, Reylo Prompt Fills (@reylo_prompts)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BensCalligraphySet](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BensCalligraphySet/gifts).



"Corellia. I've never heard of it."

"Most people haven't, kid."

"Don't call me that."

"What would you prefer I called you?" He drove carefully around the curves already glistening with ice. November had hit the mountains hard, and the rain of earlier was freezing on the roads. The little indicator on his dashboard was flashing a frost warning, but he knew it as soon as he saw the clear skies as the sun set. The cabin would be freezing, but at least it would warm up fast. He just hoped she'd listened when he told her to bring warm clothing. "Madam? Miss? Principessa?"

"Ugh, no. Poppy calls me that. I hate it." She looked at her nails, buffing them against her puffy jacket then inspecting them again. "It's like he thinks he's the Emperor or something. You can call me Miss Jackson, if you want."

She'd see those nails cracked and grubby in no time, he was sure of it. Unless she'd brought an entire salon in her suitcases. They were heavy enough. He'd fitted both into the trunk, and her satchel on the back seat next to his own duffel bag. "Very well, Miss Jackson. We'll just be in time to hit the store, and I intend getting food for a week. Have you got your mask?"

She scowled at him as she held up a moulded pink creation, undoubtedly custom-made to fit her face exactly. His own was something his mother sent him, not that he would admit that. The camo print was on point, but he made sure his employer knew nothing of his family or his background. He got a letter twice a year – on his birthday and at Christmas – and the birthday one had had something extra inside. It was hand-sewn, and he knew how much she hated sewing, so he wore it for her.

The lights of the settlement appeared as they rounded the next bend, describing only a small street worth of stores. One sported barrels outside, as well as a variety of farming implements and a couple of dresses that were totally unsuited to the cold weather. The others were a hairdresser (closed), a bar (open and busy) and the Corellia town library (closed with a sign on the door that he couldn't read at that distance.) A battered truck pulled out of a space in front of the store, and Kylo quickly claimed it, ignoring the loud honk from another car that had obviously had designs on the space.

"Too slow!" Miss Jackson crowed a little, then slipped on her mask. "So, a week, you said. We'll be here a week?" He couldn't tell if under the mask lay a smile or a scowl. Or even just the innocent query of a young girl. But he didn't believe she was that. Innocent, that is. Naïve, yes. Clueless about her grandfather's "business" dealings, definitely. But she had the curves of a young woman, and the moves of one who knew it.

"It might be a while longer. It depends. Your grandfather will let us know when it's safe to go back."

"A fortnight?" He did not reply, and her eyebrows shot up. "Not a whole month? Oh god, I can't do this."

"You can and you will, Miss Jackson."

"But I have classes!"

"You've not been attending classes anyway, with the virus going around."

"I do them over the internet. Oh please don't tell me there won't be internet where we're going."

Kylo shook his head. Her beauty school lessons couldn't be that important, surely. "How often are the classes?"

"Twice a week. Although I can download one, but I _have_ to be there for the other one. It's too difficult without being able to ask the teacher." Her shoulders slumped, and he could just imagine the pouting behind the mask.

"Then we'll see when the library's open. I'm sure you can log in there. Now hurry up – I don't like driving when it's so dark." He grabbed a pile of bags from the back seat, and the mask from the center console. Slipping it on, he opened the door, shivering a little at the cold blast that came in. There was a squeal from the other side of the car as his passenger discovered that a down-filled sleeveless jacket was no compensation for a lack of legwear. Her shorts, tiny and frayed, gave no protection against the cold, and he almost laughed as she scurried inside the store. He followed closely, checking around for any suspicious-looking characters as he did.

The store was almost a parody of the style. It was everything a Cracker Barrel tried to be, without the eatery attached. Groceries lined one side of the store, with furniture, hunting equipment and cheap clothing on the other, but the run-down state of the place enhanced the gloom that filled it. Kylo started through the grocery aisle, filling a basket with staples such as flour and sugar, and a variety of pre-packaged meals sufficient to last them at least a fortnight. He wanted a buffer in case they couldn't get back to the town in a week. Noting the telephone booth on the outside of the store and the Post Office desk towards the back, he turned to look for his charge, expecting to see her by the dresses and tiny supply of makeup available in one corner.

Instead, she was poring over an old piece of machinery in the corner, running her fingers over the rusty blades and tracing the fine steel rods that moved the whole binder once the wheat was reaped. The faded blue string that would eventually wrap around the sheaf was threaded through some of the rods, and she was clearly fascinated by the whole.

"You want to watch your fingers on that, little lady," the store manager called out from the counter. She did not jump, merely patted the machine then walked back to Kylo.

"Did you get bacon?"

"I got the essentials. That includes bacon." He gestured at the pile of groceries. "Anything in particular you want? Sugary cereal? Pop tarts?"

"If you have oatmeal and milk, I'm fine. And bread for sandwiches." She looked up at him, and while he couldn't really tell her expression, he thought she might be smiling. He was slightly surprised by that. The clothes, the attitude, all spelled _spoiled brat_ , but a couple of things weren't quite fitting in.

"How good are you at cooking?"

"They taught us the basics at school. If you have the makings, I do a mean lasagne."

"I'll take you up on that." He headed back to the pasta section, only to see her heading for the door. "Hey – where are you going?"

"I need to see when the library's open."

It wasn't as if she could go far. He finished his shopping, glad that he had been given a wad of cash before he left.

"You folks up here for the fishing?"

"Sort of." Kylo helped the manager pack the bags, glad he had brought extras. "I need the solitude. I'm writing."

"Your daughter?"

Kylo laughed. "No, she's much too old for that. No, she's my sister. Mom said she needs to get away from some rather unpleasant friends for a while, get on with her study away from distractions."

"Well, she won't find much around here. Library's only open Tuesdays and Thursdays, and they only let a half-dozen in. Like you. They're scared of this COVID flu thing, want people to keep their distance. I survived Korea and three bouts of flu, and my lungs are as tough as leather, young man. Take up smoking. It's kept me healthy."

"I'll … think about it." Kylo grabbed up the bags and hauled them to the car, wondering if he might have bought too much. But better too much than not enough. He was just loading them in the back seat, jammed around the other bags, when his charge wandered up.

"Library's not open until …"

"Tuesday. I heard. Your lectures?"

"The one I need to be there for is Tuesday." She helped him with the bags, to his surprise, then hustled to the passenger door and got in as fast as she could. "Come on – I'm _freezing._ "

"I'm not your servant, Miss Jackson."

"What are you then?"

"Your bodyguard." He got in, took his mask off and started the car, checking around before backing out of the space. "I told the old guy inside I'm your brother, but I'm really here to protect you."

"I don't need protecting." She took her mask off too, folding it into its tin.

"Right. And the body of your previous guard just happened to fall over dead, spouting blood from three holes, magically."

"Unkar deserved it. He was a creep."

"Creep or not, he was in charge of your safety. Your grandfather had had … _hang on_!"

Kylo hit the brakes hard as they came around a corner to find a tree blocking the road. Only his excellent reflexes stopped the car hitting it. Leaving the headlights on, the two looked at each other then wordlessly got out and inspected the obstacle. Each took one of the branches, and in a minute they had it pulled far enough to the side that a car could get past if it went carefully.

"Not many people come along here." Miss Jackson blew on her fingers as she got back in, the skin showing red and white with cold between the mud streaks.

"How do you work that out?" Kylo carefully manoeuvred the car around the tree, wincing at the scratching sounds down the side. He would have to explain that to Palpatine when he got back.

"That tree's been there at least since the rain, which was three hours ago. It was soaking wet. So no-one else has tried to drive down here since early afternoon." She held her fingers in front of the air vent, wincing a little.

"You might be right. It's a fairly deserted area this time of year. More of a summer cottage. But it should do. Anyway …" Kylo dropped the car down a gear as the road became steeper. "Your grandfather told me there's some trouble going on, and he was worried for your safety. The people who killed Plutt were after you, or so he thinks. So he told me to take you somewhere safe."

"And this safe place is …"

"Safe." At this, they turned down a tiny dirt track, the car rocking from side to side as it negotiated the ruts in the mud. Kylo said nothing more until they pulled up at the ubiquitous log cabin, larger than a hut but not by much. Miss Jackson got out and looked around, as if she expected something more – and whatever she was looking for obviously wasn't there. The single power line swung lazily in the cold breeze, and the cabin showed no light at all. She made a noise – Kylo wasn't sure if it was a snort or a sob – then looked back to him.

"Take me home."

"No."

"Fine." She stormed up the steps, tried to open the door, then kicked it. The look on her face as she turned back to him was total scorn.

"I hate you, I hate this, and I hate my grandfather."

"You can do all that later. Now help me get the bags inside."

The look changed from hate to resignation, and she came back down and took two of the grocery bags from him. "We share the cooking and the cleaning."

"Fine by me." Oh, this was going to be interesting. Kylo hefted some more bags, then went up to open the door.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The cabin was built by an expert, and has memories of previous residents. And a couple of new inhabitants, possibly. But it should be habitable. As long as Kylo doesn't let slip how much he really knows about it.

The lock squeaked more than he remembered, and the key took some turning. He'd have to look under the stairs, see if he still had that oil bottle. It took a moment for the door to start moving, but when it did, it opened into an entryway with hooks, dust and a dead rat.

For a brief moment, Kylo felt his blood run cold, but a second look at the hapless animal revealed that it was desiccated and disintegrating onto the old matting. Miss Jackson barely glanced at it as she followed him through, a lack of reaction which cheered Kylo just a little. Perhaps she was willing to be reasonable. After all, it must be a disappointment to be dragged into the middle of nowhere with no notice. He opened the right hand door, and led the way through, navigating by the bright moonlight coming through the windows.

"I thought you had electricity at least."

"I do. I just have to turn on the main switch. No point leaving the whole house live when I'm not here."

She grinned the bright smile of someone who has worked out a puzzle. "So this is your place. Not Poppy's, not rented – actually yours."

"Yeah, I bought it years ago. Had ideas of coming up here for holidays, but I don't seem to get a lot of those." Kylo put the bags he was carrying down in what was obviously the dining area, and opened the kitchen door. Behind it lay the switchboard, and it was the work of a moment to flick the main switch. As he did, the refrigerator started humming. A good sign.

"No lights?"

"I turned them all off before I left. It was daylight after all." He reached behind her shoulder and turned on the kitchen light. The lightbulb, an old incandescent, sent out a glow that completely belied its lack of warming ability. "Spare bulbs in the box on top of the cupboard if any have blown. They're all old ones, but I can't see the point in throwing them out while they still work."

"You realise they use so much power that you'd be saving by buying the new sort?" Miss Jackson put the grocery bags on the table and started unpacking them, piling the cold stuff on the edge nearest the fridge. "You have reusable shopping bags, a recycling bin and a compost tub, but you use the inefficient bulbs."

"Yeah, well, I'm inconsistent." Kylo turned to head out, then back again. "I'll start a fire once we've got everything in from the car. The bedrooms are upstairs." At this, he went to get the rest of the bags – his duffel and the last of her suitcases. The weight of the bag was still surprising – surely makeup and shampoo couldn't be that heavy? There was no point locking the car. They were miles from Corellia, and there were no other houses anywhere near. In fact, this was part of a National Park, but he wasn't going to tell her that. He liked his solitude, and it was frustrating to have to share it with someone else who would probably play loud music and complain about the lack of fast food. If he couldn't keep the existence of the cabin a secret, he could at least keep its location quiet.

Heading back into the dining room, he noticed her other heavy bag was already gone from where he had left it a few minutes before. Footsteps overhead told him she had discovered the bedrooms, but they were coming from the wrong side. Not directly overhead, where the smaller bedroom lay with its single bed and galaxy-themed braided rug. No, the footsteps were on the other side of the upper floor, where the main bedroom was.

He took the stairs two at a time, aware of what he would see. As expected, the light was on in the main bedroom, and his houseguest was carefully removing the dust cover from the large bed, making sure the accumulated detritus of the last four years of disuse were kept inside the rough fabric. She didn't turn as he stood in the doorway.

"This is my room."

"But it's the nicest one." She placed the folded cover on the floor beside the bed, and surveyed the mattress. "Queen sized? Where are the sheets?"

 _"My_ bedsheets are next to yours, in the cupboard under the stairs. You can't sleep here."

"Why not?" Finally she turned around, her hands on her hips and her jaw set. "The other one's a child's room. I'm not a child."

"Neither am I."

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't sleep here." She sat on the mattress, her hands braced on either side of her as if she expected the bed to tip her off.

"Because I'll be sleeping there."

For a moment it looked as if she was going to return with something either sassy or flirtatious, but then she blushed and looked away. "Actually, now that you mention it, I don't think you'd fit in the other bed."

"Not … not likely." Kylo realised he'd tensed up, and deliberately took a deep breath to relax. He'd almost said something dangerous, and he would have to be so careful. She needed to be protected, and not just from whoever was trying to kill her. "Look, I can make the beds, or I can make us some supper. We've had nothing since those tacos at Daltry. What would you prefer?"

"Something hot, please. Yes. You cook dinner. Sheets under the stairs?" She picked up her suitcase, heaved it over to the other room, and dumped it on the floor. Kylo was thankful the carpentry was sound – he could swear the whole house shuddered. But she slammed the door shut on the room and almost galloped down the stairs. He dropped her second suitcase beside the door, and threw his duffel bag into his room. There might still be a few clothes left in the wardrobe, but they would be rough wear, suitable for chopping wood or digging in the mud. He didn't need to wear them now.

He wondered if she would have any trouble finding the bed linen, but she closed the understairs cupboard door and brushed past him with arms full of bedclothes.

"Blankets?" she yelled over her shoulder as she passed him.

"Quilts. In the shelves on the top of the wardrobes, in cotton bags."

"Got it." She stomped back up the stairs, and he heard her moving around where the beds lay. Then she stopped, and he was not surprised when she yelled down. "Have you got the fire going yet? It's freezing up here!"

"Give me a minute!" He set the tinned soup on the stove, then grabbed the basket and gloves from beside the fireplace and headed out to the woodpile. Outside, the moonlight was strong enough to read by, and the frost twinkled on the grass and leaves around the back door. The back of the house was nestled into the hillside, and the woodpile just up the slope was years-seasoned and half-covered in leaves and loose branches. He grabbed a handful of that as well to use as tinder, then paused. Was that just the twigs catching on the bark, or something more slithery? After all these years, it would be no surprise to find a local snake had set up camp in the woodpile. He'd have to check tomorrow.

Five minutes later the larger logs in the fireplace in the lounge room were starting to catch, along with the dead rat. He set the fire guard against the hearth, and made sure the stone floor was clear. Already he could hear the pipes sighing with hot air. The door beside him opened, and Miss Jackson appeared. She'd taken the time to pull a pair of track pants, and looked a great deal warmer than she had when they first arrived.

"What's the heating system? I'm assuming you don't have a furnace."

"This is my furnace." He patted the mantelpiece, where the pipes curled around before heading through the house.

"You made this?"

Kylo was about to explain it, when he realised what that would reveal. "Saves on fuel. Now we need to eat." He couldn't afford to let down his guard. She would be speaking with her grandfather soon enough, and if she said too much, he was screwed. He'd already warned the old man that they would be out of touch for a couple of days, but he daren't extend past Tuesday. The less contact the better.

The soup soon disappeared, as did a plate of toast and some apples.

"I'll cook you my lasagne tomorrow. Now just how bad is the rat problem here?" Miss Jackson gathered up the plates while Kylo heated some washing up water on the stove.

"There's lots of containers in the larder. Make sure you put all the food into them. I don't know how that one at the front door got in, but we'd best be careful."

"Any bears around here?"

"Not for years. No Wookies either."

"Wookies?"

"Bigfoot. Sasquatch."

She laughed. "I believed you for a whole two seconds there. No, seriously. What do I need to be careful of?"

"Well, the woodpile hasn't been touched in a few years, and I thought I heard something moving in it tonight, so always use gloves in case of spiders or snakes. It's probably a snake – if there's rats around, it almost guarantees it. We're not really far enough north for moose, and we're too far from the river for beavers, not that they're dangerous. Coyotes, probably. I've not seen any, but it's the right area for them."

Miss Jackson started washing up the small pile of utensils, and Kylo stood beside her and dried them. "How long have you owned this place?"

"About eight years."

"But you haven't been here for a long time. Does anyone else use it?" She handed him the mug she'd had her soup in, now clean and dripping.

"No, it's just mine."

"So why did you bring me here?"

"Because no-one in your grandfather's people knows about it. It's safe."

"You think someone he works with is the one trying to kill me?"

"It's a possibility. At the moment I don't trust anyone. Better that way." He piled the new-dried cutlery into the mug.

"So is Ben your kid?" She said it innocently, but his heart skipped a beat and he almost dropped the glass she handed him.

"Who?"

"Ben. The space nerd with the rocket models." She was watching him carefully, and it took all of his self-control not to look anything but disinterested.

"I don't have any children. That stuff came with the house. I just never cleaned it out. The quilt fits the bed, and the models … want me to get rid of them?"

"No, it's ok. They're fine in the top of the wardrobe. Whoever Ben was, he must have loved them. He made little books to go with each one. But I thought the starship quilt was sweet too. I've just never slept under one. It looks very warm."

"It … it should be." Kylo took the dry utensils and had them in their places in a moment. "I'm going to just have a quick look around, make sure there's no shingles loose or anything. Then I'm going to bed. I'm exhausted. The water in the bathroom should be warm now, if you want a shower. Towels…"

"Under the stairs. I've already claimed the one with the Moon Landing on it." She bounced out, and Kylo rested against the sink. _It is warm._ He almost said it. She was starting to get to him, and he needed to stay composed, detached, and above all, cool.

He grabbed a torch and his jacket and headed outside to let the night air do what his own self-control couldn't.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kylo works out what needs doing, as Rey settles into her studies.

Kylo was in active mode, so it was no wonder he woke up in the middle of the night, as the moonlight crept around the edges of the curtains in his room. For a moment he wondered what had woken him, until he heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs. They were light, and heading down, creaking at the fifth from bottom. Miss Jackson of course, probably heading to the bathroom. There were no facilities on the upper floor. It would have been quite difficult to plumb in the drainage and with only the two bedrooms, it was unusual for there to be much of a wait for the toilet. Or she could do what he used to do as a kid – sneak out the back door and up the hill to pee against the woodheap.

Although maybe not, if his suspicions were correct. 

He noted the sound of the old toilet lever being activated, and then water in the basin. Her footsteps paused by the fireplace, and he wondered if the large log he left had burnt out. A clunk told him more wood was being added, then scampering footsteps up the stairs gave him her location. Hopefully she wouldn't be so cold as to make it difficult to get back to sleep. 

One thing the cabin had that he didn't enjoy was that the internal walls upstairs didn't reach all the way to the ceiling. Ostensibly this was to allow the air to circulate freely, but it also meant the sound came through as well. Too well. He shook his head at the memory of giggles and groans coming from the main bedroom over to the smaller one on warm summer nights when he was assumed to be asleep. He really didn't need those memories right now.

Ten minutes later, he gave up on getting back to sleep, at least for the meantime. He sat up in bed with a notepad, making a list of the things that needed doing. Checking the washing machine was still working and not the winter home for a bunch of chipmunks, for instance. Working out how the rat got in. And writing a letter. Which would be good to do now, while his charge was asleep. Or at least he hoped she was. 

The letter took little time, and he tucked it into his satchel. He couldn't say much in it – just that he was still alive, still fine, and still couldn't see them. It had been four long years, and he hoped this was the last one he'd have to write. He might not have got on with his parents, but the time away had made him appreciate them a lot more. But he dare not post it. One look at the postcode and they'd know exactly where he was, and that couldn't happen. He'd have to set up one of the usual channels. 

By the time he'd finished, the small amount of sky visible through the skylight had moved from black and full of stars to a middling blue, and the local birds were starting to warble. Kylo grabbed a towel from the downstairs cupboard, then headed for the hot shower he was craving. Hopefully the noise wouldn't be too much for Her Royal Highness upstairs. 

The water was gloriously hot, and he felt much better for it, but it was only as he came out and dried himself that he realised he hadn't brought any clothes down. In a pile lay the previously-worn ones, with his gun holster on top. It was his habit to just wear a towel back upstairs, leaving his dirty clothes in the bathroom and getting dressed back in the bedroom. To be honest, he didn't usually _wear_ the towel. There was no point with no-one else in the cabin, but of course that wasn't the case this time. He wasn't going to put on yesterday's clothes. After all, the girl was fast asleep – he'd risk it this time. 

He wrapped the towel around himself and grabbed the holster – he'd never go anywhere without his gun, and especially at the moment.

Unfortunately, the towel Kylo had grabbed was small. It would have been fine on his houseguest, but on him it didn't even reach around his hips. He held it tightly as well as he could as he started up the stairs. He was almost halfway up when the door opposite his opened, and Miss Jackson stepped out.

"Oh."

"Morning." Relying on civility to cover all blunders, Kylo continued up, aware that she was most definitely surveying his body as he did. "I'll get some breakfast on soon, shall I?"

"Aren't you cold?"

"If I could get to my room to get some clean clothes on, I wouldn't be. Excuse me." He walked up beside her and went to open the door, but the hand holding the holster was opposite where the handle was. If he reached across, he'd be bumping Miss Jackson. If he let go of the towel, her grandfather would kill him. 

"Let me." She reached past him and opened the door, pushing it enough for him to get through. 

"Thanks." It wasn't his imagination. She'd watched him go into the room, her attention flicking between his chest and the area covered by the towel. And the arm that had reached past his hip had rested on it, he was certain. He'd have to be careful of this one. 

Five minutes later he was dressed and downstairs, following the sounds of activity in the kitchen. He walked in to find his houseguest presiding over a frypan containing a delicious mess of bacon and eggs, and the kettle approaching boiling. The laden plate she put in front of him was certainly edible, although if she continued cooking bacon in these quantities, they'd need to buy more very soon. Which reminded him.

"I need to go into town this afternoon. We should check if there's some way to book you in for the Library on Tuesday."

"It's only Saturday."

"Yeah, but just in case. And I have things to do."

"We only drove in last night." Miss Jackson sat down on the other side of the table and started hoeing into her own food. "What could you possibly have to do that you couldn't do yesterday?"

"Ring your grandfather for one, tell him how well his Principessa is looking after me." It was the closest he could get to a compliment about her cooking, and from the smile it brought to her face, he knew she understood. "I know you had to leave your phone behind, but there's no signal here anyway, and he wants me to check in from time to time."

"You could have done it yesterday."

"I could."

"So what else is so important?" She had the same innocent look on her face as she had the night before, when she was asking him about Ben. He felt a twist in his gut, the awkwardness pulling through him, and he stared down at his food and chewed for a moment, trying to work out the best way to explain it. Then … 

"Confession." 

_"What???"_

"I can't go to Mass anyway – too dangerous. Most churches aren't running them. But Confession is available on Saturday afternoons."

Miss Jackson laughed. "I'm sorry, I didn't realise you're Catholic. But of course you must be – you go to Mass with Poppy." She sipped her coffee, then smiled again. It wasn't a nice smile. "Do you have to confess to lusts of the flesh or something?"

He did not dignify that with an answer, and after a moment or two she spoke again. "Do I stay here? Go with you?"

"You could sit in the church if you want, or have a coffee somewhere."

"Where? Corellia is a dump!"

He laughed. "The bar has an area for coffee and stuff. You'll need to take some sanitiser, wipe down where you're sitting, and you can't go into the main bar." 

"Why not?"

"You're underaged."

"I'm 22". 

It was his turn to be surprised. "I thought you were much younger."

"How old did you think I was?"

"18, maybe. Or even 17. Didn't you only finish school last year?"

"Year before. And I was a bit old for it, 'cause I missed a couple of years at the beginning. Poppy said I had to stay until I'd finished." She held up the coffee press, which still held enough brew for a second cup for both of them, and topped up his mug when he nodded. "Last year was a gap year – and I was waiting for a place at college. So I'm older than most of the rest of the students."

"How long is the course?"

"Four years. I'm trying to fast-track, but the subjects are tough, and they won't let you do most of them out of order." She topped up her own mug, and wrapped her hands around it. "The fireplace and the stove might warm things up a bit, but this place is freezing."

"It never was supposed to be a permanent home. Just a summer holiday home, and once a hunting cabin. Although not now. It's National Park, so hunting's not allowed around here. Even so, best if you don't wander off too far. The woods are thick, and it's easy to lose your way. Stay close to the cabin, or not far from the track. Don't try to be silent. The animals should be hunkering down for winter, but there's always a few that seem to hang around." He sipped the coffee. "What sort of beauty course takes four years anyway?"

"It's holistic. Incorporates all of the body, hair management, diet, vitamins." She waved her hands around as if encompassing an entire college. 

"Then you can give me some recommendations for my hair. It gets incredibly greasy." Kylo pulled out a couple of strands. Despite being washed that morning, they were limp and lifeless. 

"Um … we're not up to hair yet. I'll have a read and see what I can find." Miss Jackson finished up her coffee, and moved the plates to the sink. "What time will we head in?"

"After lunch. We'll be finished by sundown. I have some things to do around here this morning."

"And I need to study. Your turn to do the dishes." She bounced out of the room, smiling as she went. 

"Throw some wood on the fire before you head up, so you keep warm," he called after her, putting his own plate in the sink. He'd do the dishes after lunch.

Five minutes later he was outside at the woodheap, prepared with a hoe and a thick pair of gloves. The plan was to move at least a week's worth of wood inside the back porch, making it both easier to get, and ensuring it was snake-free. Within minutes he was glad he was doing it in the frosty chill of the morning. He had a pile of logs off the end of the woodpile, and when he shone his torch in, he could see a mass of scaly backs curled together at the other end of the space, six feet away. There must have been at least four, maybe as many as seven, but their brown and golden diamonds made it very difficult to tell. Most of them were not moving, but one stirred slightly, its body undulating over its brumation companions indicating that it was aware of some mild hazard. 

_Stay sleeping, my fine friends_ , Kylo thought as he piled a thin layer of logs back over the hole. _All the rats are yours, but stay away from the house._ He was glad the woodpile was nearly fifty feet from the cabin. It was unlikely the rattlesnakes would come that close, especially now that they were tucked in for winter. Besides, humans were big and scary, and not at all to their taste. They would not seek out trouble. But were he to come back in summer, he would need to dismantle their sleeping quarters to make sure they didn't return. He did not want to kill them. They had done nothing to deserve that. 

He loaded up the wheelbarrow he had brought up, checking each log to make sure any hollows were free of slithery squatters before he put it in the old galvanised hold. At the back door he deliberately dropped each log on the concrete outside to allow any other critters to reconsider their habitations, before piling them up where the rain couldn't reach it. Dusting off his gloves and hanging them up high, he headed to the washing machine and the rest of the morning's chores. 

Shortly after noon, Kylo brought a plate of sandwiches and a glass of juice up to the smaller bedroom. He knocked with his elbow, and after a moment's scuffling, she opened it. 

"Lunch."

"Oh. Thanks. How long until we go?" She stretched, then took the plate and tumbler.

"About an hour?"

"That's fine." Before he had a chance to say or do anything more, she shut the door in his face. He did manage to glimpse some large and serious-looking textbooks on the small table, and one of the old rockets on the shelf in front. It was balanced on its base, its nose pointing to the ceiling, and he smiled at the idea that someone else appreciated the work. It was a Juno II, complete with an Explorer telescope, and had taken him a month to make one very wet summer. But he daren't tell her that. 

An hour later, they bumped along the track towards the road into town. Miss Jackson had a book in her bag to read at the bar, and Kylo had his satchel, and they both wore their masks as they left the car. He spent no more than five minutes in confession, and he left with both his soul and his satchel a little lighter.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we learn some of Kylo's secrets, he learns some of Rey's, and it starts snowing. And Rey gets rather drunk.

Miss Jackson wasn't in the bar. Kylo started back towards the car in case she was there, but a light in the library window showed her talking to Miss Holdo, the librarian who had been in charge there forever. He turned back to the bar, determined to wait out his charge in the warmth. In the lobby, where the music from the country-heavy jukebox wasn't too loud, he rang the only number programmed into his phone. There was no sound when it was picked up at the other end. Good. 

"Hux. Put me through to the old man." 

A grunt, and then the tinny ice-cream-van tones of a cheap hold system. Why the hell Palpatine couldn't shell out for something decent, Kylo didn't know. Suddenly the mangled tones of _Greensleeves_ gave way to his master's voice.

"Ren. Good thing you called. All right your end?"

"We're fine. Settled into the cabin, no-one knows we're there."

 _"Buono."_ The old man's breathing was slightly heavy, as if he'd caught a cold. He'd always sounded wheezy, but now it was worse. "I have some bad news. Your friend Canady got picked up yesterday by the Feds."

"What? What for?"

"Some drug warrant. _Scemo._ I told him not to run that sideline – that I'd make sure he had enough money without needing to do that. Snoke saw him being hustled into a car, next thing we hear, he's singing _uccello canoro."_ The voice at the other end panted a little, out of breath. "Did he say anything to you?"

"Only what I already told you. That he was talking with the Spice Merchants and that I warned him off it." Kylo looked around, but no-one was near, and any doors opening would have released a blast of noise from inside. "He might have been a friend, but I don't do that sort of shit." 

"Yeah, I know. I checked on you, just in case. I'm only trusting you with Rey because you've been straight about this stuff. And because I still owe you for saving my life. But that debt can be cancelled. Don't be an _idiota._ " Another pause, a half-cough. "Listen, if you ring this number and Hux talks to you …" 

"Tell him I have a wrong number then hang up, because the whole operation has been compromised. Yeah, I know." 

"So let me speak to my granddaughter." 

"She …" At that moment, the front door to the bar opened and Miss Jackson walked in. Kylo waved her over. "She's here. Hang on." 

"Poppy?" Miss Jackson listened for a minute, nodding. Then she gasped. "No, I didn't know. Unkar never left the house." A pause. "I already told you he was a creep." Another pause. "Well how was I to know he was supposed to go with me?" Then she swung around to stare angrily at Kylo. "All right! Yes! Everywhere! Even in the bath!"

She winced and handed the phone back to Kylo, who held it away from his ear as the elderly man at the other end yelled loudly. When the shouting finished, he brought it back. "She's teasing you, sir. I stay close by, but not that close."

"You'd better not, Ren."

"We need to go. I'll call on Tuesday." There was an affirmative grunt from Palpatine, then the call ended. The girl stood next to him, her mask dangling from one finger as she looked up at him.

"You know, if your grandfather even had the slightest suspicion that I was sharing the bath with you, he'd have me dropped in the lava pits of Mustafar as slowly as he could manage." Kylo turned the phone off. It was the only way to make sure it wasn't being tracked. 

"I know." She had that smile on again. "We should head back." 

He noticed she was carrying one of the shopping bags from the car, and that it was fairly full and clinked a little as she put it in the back seat. They were barely out of town when she started talking. 

"I bought some salad to go with the lasagne. We should be eating more greens. Not that there was much at the store."

"Uh huh." Kylo checked that there were no cars following them. The comment about Canady's arrest spooked him a little. He hadn't expected Palpatine to tell him. Was the old man testing him? 

"You're not listening."

"Sorry. Was thinking over something your grandfather … never mind. What did you say?"

"That I'm booked in at the library for my lecture at ten, but I should get there at least fifteen minutes early so we can check the connection. Oh, and the librarian said she knew the people who owned the cabin before. She told me all about Ben – he must have been pretty cool. Did you know she suggested he read a book called _Lucky Starr and the Big Sun of …_ oh, somewhere, and then he borrowed all the books about space that she could find for him? And he made the rockets from a book that he kept so long that the overdue fees were more than the book was worth, so she made him work in the library to make up for it?" 

She was babbling a little, but it saved him commenting. And from blurting out _Mercury_. That summer had been one of the best ones of his life. He knew damned well Miss Holdo had pretended that working in the library was a punishment, while it was the most amazing time he'd ever had. She'd ended up complaining that the model book was worn out, and gave it to him to "get rid of". It was still at his parents' place. 

But it meant he couldn't let the librarian see him. Even though it had been at least twenty years, she'd know him still. The face might have aged, but the large ears and even larger nose were a giveaway. At least he hadn't lied to Palpatine about no-one knowing they were in the cabin. Not technically, anyway.

"I'll bring you in Tuesday, and wait for you at the bar." 

"Thanks. The exam's in four weeks. Do you think we'll be back in Naboo by then?"

"I don't know." The sky was turning an odd colour, with a greenish tinge that Kylo remembered too well from the only other winter he'd spent up here. "Good thing we left town when we did. It's going to snow."

"It's cold enough." She looked out the window, then back at him. "Look, I'm sorry about stirring Poppy like that. I should have realised it would get you into trouble." She paused, looking down at her nails. He glanced over, and noticed the polish was chipped and there was dirt underneath the nails. He was surprised that she hadn't re-polished them, but then his attention was taken by a flurry of leaves that blew in front of the car. The sigh to his right was deep and heartfelt, followed by a couple of false starts at talking. 

"I …"

"It wasn't …"

A minute's more silence, then she spoke. "Look, I'm not very good at communicating. Or at treating people properly. I've been … I'd like us to at least get on."

"I thought we were." 

"Well, sort of. But not if you keep calling me _Miss Jackson_. After all, I don't call you Mr Ren."

"Or just Ren like your grandfather does."

"Yeah. So, um, you can call me Rey." 

"Rey. Right. Thank you." He didn't mean to be so brusque, but his attention was divided. For a bit there it was as if there was another car behind them for a while. It was hard to tell in the dimming light, especially as the car was grey and didn't have any lights on. But by the time they got to the turnoff, it was gone. 

The cabin had retained a vestige of warmth but as soon as they got in, Kylo headed to the fireplace and used the coals there to build the fire back up. They washed their hands for the required twenty-seconds before heading to the opposite ends of the house. He grabbed a book from the shelf downstairs, and settled into the dilapidated sofa near the fire, while Rey disappeared to her room for some more study. An hour later, he heard her come down the stairs and head to the kitchen. Even in the middle of Agatha Christie, he was still hyper aware, keeping tabs on his charge, the change in the light outside, the gentle sound of snow starting to hit the window and the gradual cooling of the cabin. And the aroma of garlic wafting through from the kitchen. There were other scents – frying onions, fresh basil, something cheesy, but the garlic dominated.

When he finally had to get up anyway, he headed out to the back porch to grab some more wood. This meant going through the kitchen, where Rey was busy presiding over layers of pasta and cheese sauce in a baking dish. He hadn't remembered he had such a thing, but it had no doubt been lurking in some cupboard for years. She must have cased out the kitchen at some point, working out what implements were there and useable. The garlic smell suffused the air, and he could smell it even when he stepped outside.

She didn't say anything as he passed, kicking the back door shut as he hauled the logs, but ten minutes later she called him to a surprisingly well-filled table with a bottle of red wine in the middle. A bowl of green salad and a pair of heavily-garlicked large bread rolls flanked the deep cheesy tray of lasagne. 

Rey spread her arms, and adopted the accent and voice of an Italian grandmother. "Eat! Eat! You're too skinny! And have you rung your mother?"

He ignored that and the twinge it gave him, and sat down, pulling the tray towards him while Rey passed him a glass of red wine.

"It's not terribly fancy, but it'll do." 

Sipping carefully, he had to agree. It was no Barbaresco, but it was definitely drinkable. "Thanks. I'm surprised you could find wine in town." 

"There wasn't much choice, and I wanted one that wasn't in a 40 ounce jug. But I bought two." Rey put a large serve on his plate, leaving little room for the salad. For the first little while there was no noise bar the sounds of food disappearing. Kylo had eaten at plenty of Italian restaurants, and could cook for himself, but having something cooked especially for him was a rare treat these days. He let her refill his glass, and she topped up her own as well. 

"So," she said, wiping the last of the sauce off her plate with a piece of bread. "I know you've been working for Poppy for four years, but where did you come from before that?

"Little town called Alderaan."

"Never heard of it."

"It doesn't exist any more. The state wanted to build a dam, so out we all went. My parents never really coped – we ended up in a dump in the back end of Quarrow, which is a hole by itself. So I ran away from home, and ended up in Naboo. Did some work for Snoke, then your grandfather wanted me to work under him."

"What sort of work?"

Kylo thought quickly. As far as he knew, she still thought her grandfather was some sort of rich businessman. "Oh, arranging deliveries, making sure the contracts for the buildings are running on time, that sort of thing." It had been a bit more than that. He knew who Palpatine's lieutenants were, and had deliberately become friends with Pryde. Pryde introduced him to Snoke, and for a year he'd been in charge of minor things – intimidating local drug runners and making sure the proceeds ended up back at Snoke's headquarters. Then he was brought to meet Palpatine himself. That was the day when a rival Don's hitman arrived to kill the old man and facilitate a hostile takeover, as it was described later. Kylo's fast action had saved the Mafioso's life, and he found himself promoted to Capo of a sub-family and running a great number of interesting businesses. Don Palpatine's trust had grown over the following three years, especially as most of the other sub-families had all sorts of trouble – shakedowns disrupted, gambling dens closed down, senior members arrested and jailed. There was trouble through the Palpatine Family, and the general suspicion was that either the Feds had got a mole in, or one of the other Families had infiltrated and were trying to weaken things enough to force Palpatine to retire and hand it all over.

And the contract on his granddaughter absolutely cemented that story. Luckily for Kylo. It gave him the cover he needed, and proved his loyalty beyond all doubt by being trusted to take young Rey away from trouble for a few weeks. 

The dirty dishes went in the sink, and Rey took her glass and the half-finished bottle in one hand and held out her other. He looked at it for a minute, not understanding, then she took his hand in hers. Leading him to the dilapidated sofa in front of the fire where he'd spent most of the afternoon, she stacked a few more logs on the hearth, slipped her shoes off and refilled her glass, settling down with her feet tucked under her as she watched the flames. The bottle sat beside her on the floor, its screw top on firmly against accidental knocks. 

Kylo brought his own glass and the other bottle. He didn't drink much, but it felt safe enough to indulge tonight. Although that hand-hold was a slight concern. Did she mean anything by it? The snow was now deep enough that anyone driving in would have trouble and make plenty of noise, and no-one would be foolish enough to walk in. Settling on the other side of the sofa, he sipped a little then put his glass down. "That was delicious. Who taught you to cook? Your Poppy? Your parents?"

"One of the places I lived when I was growing up." She finished the glass and poured herself another one, but just held it. "Maz was the best cook around. And a wonderful person. I would have liked to stay there."

"Why didn't you?" He wouldn't have pried, except for the incongruences in her. Her accent was mainly New England, but every now and then a London tone would slip in. She was a child being petulant or bouncy, then a sensible young woman trying to find her place in the world. And her hands. In the light from the reading lamp behind him, he could see her nails. They weren't manicured as they had been yesterday, nor dilapidated as they had been earlier. Now, they were clean and neat, short and utilitarian and not a glimmer of even a clear polish on them. She must have taken off all the decoration when they started to deteriorate. Then she sighed and took another drink. 

"I wanted to. Maz wanted me to. She lived in a lovely old house north of London, lots of garden and woods nearby. You could play Pooh-sticks in the stream. I was about seven, going to school, thinking she might decide to keep me. That's the goal." She looked over at him with eyes that weren't seeing him at all. They were wide, and unfocussed, more than just the alcohol could cause. She was caught back in a memory – he recognised the signs. The wine had indeed brought truth. 

"You wish for little things. A bed with blankets. A warm room. Being fed regularly. Then dessert. Getting to go on the school excursions. If you get the little things, you hope for a bit more – new clothes, not hand-me-downs. Maybe going to the pictures. But the one thing you hope for, the one thing us kids in the system whispered at night and to each other at the Group Houses, was to be wanted. For your carer to like you so much they asked the Department if they could keep you. If you didn't see someone for a while, you asked, and if someone told you _They've got a home_ , you cried. For happiness, that one of us had found their place, and for sadness that you hadn't. And for bitter, bitter envy – what did they have that you didn't?" 

She stopped and looked back at the fire. "Maz was going to ask, but then a man came from the Department. He had things – boiled sweets and lollipops and biscuits. I'd started sucking a lollypop and then he told me it wasn't any good, and he took it back and gave me a whole bag of humbugs instead. Then he left. And two weeks later, a lady came from Naboo with papers that said I was Poppy's granddaughter and had to go back with her."

In a moment she'd drained her glass and put it beside the bottle. "I know he's my grandfather, and he gives me anything I want. A new computer. Money for textbooks and a programming calculator. But even after all these years, he doesn't _feel_ like my grandfather. I don't live with him – never have. I'm in my own house with a cook and a maid, and a minder who tells him everything. There used to be a nanny, until I was twelve, and then it was a housekeeper. And I go to his house for lunch once every week. But he's always having meetings with his people, or he needs to go back to work. He doesn't make me feel safe, and warm, and like I'm at _home_." A log settled down into the embers, the movement causing a momentary flare-up that illuminated her face, and Kylo almost dropped his glass. She looked as if she was lost, and had given up any chance of being found again. 

The silence grew around them, wrapping them in warmth and care with the heat coming from the fireplace, until she gave a slight laugh and reached down for the bottle again. This time, though, she never made it. Toppling over slowly, she laid her head on his knee and began to snore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italian translations:  
>  _Buono_ \- Good.  
>  _Scemo_ \- Fool  
>  _uccello canoro_ \- Like a canary  
>  _idiota_ \- Idiot.
> 
> "Lucky Starr and the Big Sun of Mercury" was one of a set of 1950s kid's novels written by Isaac Asimov under the pseudonym of Paul French.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Too much wine leads to nasty hangovers. And when running a hot steamy bath, it's probably a good idea to lock the door.

Rey was surprisingly light in his arms. She was small, yes, but he'd thought for some reason she'd be heavier.

Kylo carried her carefully through the porch, wincing at the cold draught under the front door as he passed it, then around to the stairs. When he paused to open the door to the staircase, she stirred and wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly. It made opening the door a lot easier, as well as getting her up the stairs and into her room, although he couldn't avoid stepping on the squeaky fifth one. It was strangely soothing to be held like that, even if the closeness was alcohol-related. He pulled back the starship quilt, every lovingly-stitched section still clear and strong, and laid his charge on the sheet. Removing her shoes, he nestled her sock-clad feet under the quilt, pulling it over her and tucking it in tightly. The warmth from the fireplace downstairs had done its job, and the entire room was rather pleasant. It wouldn't last, but at least she would start the night in comfort.

Turning to leave, he saw her textbooks open on the desk with her notepad and calculator beside them. As she had mentioned, the calculator was a top-of-the-line programmable Jedi-brand C-3PO, with a colour display and the gold casing. It wasn't what he'd expect a beauty student to use, but perhaps he was being judgemental. It was too dim to see anything particular in the textbooks, although they looked large and solid enough to cause serious injury were she to use them for a weapon instead of a study aid.

Downstairs he moved the wine bottles and glasses into the kitchen, washed up and put the remains of the dinner in the fridge. It might be a stereotype of the background, but she'd certainly made enough for another meal. That suited Kylo perfectly – one less meal for him to prepare. Snaffling the last of the garlic bread, he doused the lights, banked the fire and headed for bed. He had no doubt he would be the first awake in the morning, and the more human of the two.

His prediction was partially correct. He was the _only_ one awake in the morning. Somehow he managed to sleep until nearly nine, as the sun never made its way through the snow over the skylight. Rey's door was closed, so he knocked, and when there was no answer, he opened it quietly and noted the motionless shape under the quilt. She'd had half as much wine again than he had, and he was feeling slightly seedy, so she was probably not going to be at all well. His breakfast was coffee and toast, and he rugged up well before heading outside to check the snow situation.

It was a good thing he did. The back and front porch were well sheltered, but the sides of the house had three feet of snow easily, which meant the roof was similarly covered. He knew from experience that the snow on the roof needed to be cleared off soon, or it would partially melt and become ice, which would be too much for the shingles. Luckily, there was a simple solution.

An hour later, there was a massive _thump_ at the back of the house, followed by a similar one at the front. The inside of the house was toasty-warm, as he had had to stoke the fire fairly high to activate the built-in roof-heater that had been part of the cabin's design. The snow at the front could stay there, although he'd need to clear a path to the car, but the pile at the back would need clearing before it refroze into an icy slush pile that would stay until spring. Kylo grabbed the snow shovel, his jacket and scarf and headed out to deal with one of the few design problems the cabin allowed. If he were going to rebuild it, he'd work out some kind of drainage system that allowed the snow to be channelled directly into the water tank built into the side of the hill.

It took him an hour to clear most of the drift. The back got practically no sun – another thing that would need changing. It was useful in summer when the kitchen became a cool oasis, but right now it was just annoying. He took the extra time to dig a path through the front drift, so that they could reach the car and get out of the house. It was past noon when he got back inside, his hands and feet freezing.

Kylo hung his coat on the back of the kitchen door to drip-dry in the warmth, and headed for the bathroom and a hot shower, pulling his sweater over his head as he did. It took the warm shirt he'd been wearing with it, and he struggled a little as he opened the bathroom door, trying to get the double layer over his ears, when he heard a shriek.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Rey. In the bathroom.

"Sorry." His voice was muffled in the fabric layers, and he could barely hear her, but he did realise that there was a lot of steamy air around him. Pulling the rest of the tops over his head, he shook his hair free then looked at where the voice had come from.

She was sitting up in the bath, her hair piled high on her head, her face white and her skin very pink. Clutching a washcloth over her breasts, she stared at him as if he had lost his mind.

"Out."

"Oh." She must have filled the bath while he was out the front, which explained why he hadn't heard the water running. He turned around, hurriedly pulling the shirt out from the jumper so he could put it on again. As he shut the door to keep the steam in, he heard her gasp.

Leaning against the door as he wrestled with the clothes to put them back on, he grinned.

"You know, I could really do with being in a lava pit right now."

"But if I tell Poppy, I'd have to get a new bodyguard. No, I'll stick with you for a bit." There was a sound of water sloshing.

"Thanks." Kylo finally managed to separate the sweater from the shirt and he soon had them both back on. "Do you feel up to lunch? Lasagne? There's plenty." There was a low groan through the door, and he shook his head at the innocence that led foolish young maidens to overindulge in red wine. "Just some hot soup and toast then? And coffee?"

"Please. Is it all right if I stay in a bit longer?"

"Take as long as you want, Principessa." There was a wet squish against the bathroom door that he knew was the washcloth she had just been using to cover herself. He laughed, and went to make lunch.

It must have been nearly an hour later that Rey appeared, looking less pale than she had in the bath. She quickly reheated the soup, and threw some bread on to toast. Her hair was neat, having been combed out and into three little buns that did the job of keeping it out of her eyes, but it was still dripping on her collar.

"Why was the house so warm before? I woke up and thought I must have caught the virus." She felt the side of the coffee press, then grimaced. "Cold."

"Heat it up in a saucepan."

"That makes sense. I've got a microwave at home. Normally I'd stick it in that." She dragged out an old green-flecked enamelled saucepan and poured the coffee in. "There's enough for two here – want some?"

"Please."

"This saucepan – Maz used to have one just like it for heating milk. She didn't believe in microwaves either." With a clunk it was on the stove and the element turned on.

"I had the heat up to get the snow off the roof."

"What happens when you're not here?"

"It piles up. There's no gutters though, so the melt doesn't tend to back under the shingles. I'll probably have to replace a few next summer, but they're pretty good at their job." Kylo held out his mug and Rey tipped half of the newly-hot coffee in. "Thanks."

She disappeared into her room for the rest of the afternoon, and Kylo went through the books faster than he thought possible. Cleaning the gun and sweeping the snow off the front porch took a bit more of the afternoon, but he was still starting to get restless by the time he heard the fifth stair creak.

In the kitchen, Rey was covering the leftover lasagne with foil and slipping it in the oven.

"What happened to the rest of the garlic bread?"

"It was delicious."

"Then you'll just have to do without today." She sat down and opened the second bottle of wine, pouring a glass for each of them.

"I'd better not have more than this if I'm going to get some serious study in tomorrow. Although I should take a break at some stage. I didn't even think of bringing books – what have you got here?"

"A full selection of Agatha Christie novels."

"Whodunnits?"

"Yeah, them." Kylo laughed. "If you see odd things in them – page numbers circled, for instance – don't panic."

"Oh! It's the Romance Code! Miss Holdo told me about it. How the ladies reading the romance novels put a secret sign in so if they can't remember if they've read it before, they check for a dot on page 87, or a line under the publishing date or something. But you can't tell the difference between these ones?"

"Not that. It's to see if you can work out who the murderer is." He grabbed the one on the bench at the side he'd left there. "See – here's my mark on page 27. I thought I had it picked."

"And now?"

"I don't think it's the sports teacher. My money's on the gardener now."

"Why not the sports teacher?"

"Can't tell you. It'd spoil it. So – do you think that lasagne's ready yet?"

Dinner was as nice as it had been the day before. Kylo thought over the supplies – it'd be frozen meals for dinner the next night, but that wouldn't kill them. "What time does your lecture finish?"

"Eleven, then we usually have a discussion after. I should be done by twelve. What were you thinking?"

"Do you want to risk lunch at the bar?"

"If you think it's safe." She scowled. "I haven't heard much of what's happening with the virus, but I don't know if a crowded room full of loud drinkers will be a good idea."

"Then I'll get takeout and we'll find somewhere nice to have it. Or back here, if the weather turns." He took a last swallow of wine, then rinsed his glass out and filled it with water. "I need to remember to get some more filters for the water tanks too."

"I'd love to have a look at your water systems later. Obviously you're not on town sewage."

"No, we've a large septic with a dual soak. The house was set up to last ten years with three people here, so with just me being here so irregularly, I've never needed to empty the tank. You know about this stuff?"

"Civil engineering? Not my ballpark, but one of my friends is into it." She grinned. "He goes on like crazy about some garden in Italy where the fountains are nearly five hundred years old, and not a single pump to make them work."

The _Naberrie Gardens_ he thought. Part of his family's cultural heritage – and far too identifiable if he said anything. "So are you thinking of making a home water system that works the same way – endless showers and hairwashing? Excellent."

"Yeah, about that …" She paused and took another drink. "Actually, no. Never mind. Look, you might be my bodyguard, but …"

Pausing, she looked out the window, where there was a light dusting of snow blowing under the back porch eaves. Sighing, she turned back.

"I thought we were becoming friends."

"We … we are." The warmth he felt was due to the wine, no doubt, and not those words. And the smile on his face. He knew he didn't smile much, but he hadn't realised it would take so little to raise one. "Friends, yes."

"Good. Because I don't have a lot of friends. And it would be hard stuck here for four weeks if we didn't get on." Rey took the plates off the table and proceeded with the washing up, and Kylo went to check if his socks were dry.

Reading yet another Agatha Christie, Kylo cursed the lack of variety of books available. He'd read them all before, and hadn't thought to bring anything else up. Foolish, he knew – most of these sorts of jobs were sitting around for days on end, then a massive flurry of action at the end. He'd have to see if there was any reading material in the shop in town. But not the library.

The silence of the house, insulated as it was by the snow, was almost creepy, but he was used to it. It was one of the benefits of living in the Park. There might be the distant howl of a coyote, or the crash as a branch broke under the weight of snow, but that was nothing compared to living in the busy city of Naboo with its narrow streets full of traffic, sirens at every hour, and the dull hum of humanity. If he had a choice, he'd live up here for a year.

But at the moment, his only choice was to guard the young woman that he was becoming rather fond of. Banking the fire again for the night, he cleaned his teeth, turned off the downstairs lights and headed up the stairs. The light showed across the top of the wall to her room, and he checked his watch. Its old-fashioned hands showed him it was getting late, and he felt rather more like a bossy big brother than a bodyguard as he yelled that it was time for her to close her books for the night.

"You're not my guardian!"

"Yeah, but I have to cope with you being grumpy tomorrow if you don't, and I'd rather not."

"I can take responsibility for myself."

"Your call, Principessa."

There was a definitely unhappy _grump_ , and she came out onto the landing.

"If you don't ace your test in four weeks, it won't be for lack of trying." Kylo went to move past her, but she put her hands on his hips and swung herself around on him, reversing their positions.

"You'd make a great pivot." She had her bath bag in one hand as she headed down the stairs.

"Just don't forget to turn off the lights when you come back up."

" _Si, Anziano_." She skipped down the stairs as he headed into the bedroom.

In moments he was stripped down to his t-shirt and briefs, and slipped under the cover. The quilt, covered in a geometric pattern his mother had made with her friends, was warm and comforting, but he kept himself awake until he heard light footsteps return to her room. Then, he slept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anziano - Old man.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey's period hits hard, and Kylo is up for the job - footrubs and boardgames. But she manages to extract something from him. The trip to town results in some news and a meeting with an old friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a bit ahead with chapters, so I thought I might give you a bonus early one.

Monday morning, he was once again the first one up and showered. He remembered to take clean clothes down with him, and while the door couldn’t be locked, he shoved his sleeping garments against the jamb to at least slow the entrance of any sleepy women who hadn't realised he was already in there. His efforts were unnecessary – he finished, dropped his gear upstairs and was back making breakfast before Rey came in. 

She'd only had the one glass of wine the night before, but she looked wrecked. Sitting silently at the table, she ignored the bowl of oatmeal he put in front of her and clutched her coffee cup as if it were the saviour of the coming Armageddon.

"Are you all right?"

She blushed and put two spoons of sugar in the coffee, paused, then put in another one. "I'll be fine. This is normal for me when … sometimes."

"Oh." The wheels in his head made the connections. "So do you need anything? Supplies? Chocolate? I'm afraid the last hot water bottle here perished years ago, but I could work something out if you need." He was a little uncomfortable, but tried to make sure it didn't show. 

Rey looked up, her eyes heavy but a slight smile on her face. "I should have known you were able to cope with periods. Unkar used to freak out – didn't want to know, didn't want me to mention it. It was horrible when I got my first one. Miss Phasma looked after me then, told me what to expect. Did your girlfriend teach you?"

"I don't have a girlfriend."

"Never?"

"Are you going to study today?"

"Aha! A subject change! Could the cool-as-a-cucumber Kylo Ren have finally been presented with something he can't cope with?" She drank her coffee, then pulled over the bowl of oatmeal. "I'm not really hungry, but I can't take the painkillers on an empty stomach. And I'm not up to interrogating you while I feel like this either. But don't think you're off the hook, Ren."

"If you're feeling this bad, you should probably have a day off the books."

"I usually do." She ate half the oatmeal, then pushed it away. "I'm sorry – you went to the trouble of making breakfast, and I can't appreciate it properly. But yes, I had a feeling I was due. I don't get pre-menstrual, but _quando è arrivato il marchese_ , sometime it hits so badly. This way I can take the day off without feeling guilty."

"What do you want to do?"

"To be honest, I'm going back to bed. I feel terrible. Could you wake me for lunch, do you think?" She got up from the table, taking her coffee with her. 

"Sure." 

Once Rey was clear of the kitchen, he put the bowls in the washing up, then headed out the back door to a spot on the slope where the dark rocks protruded from the bank. Picking two the size of housebricks, he brushed off the snow and dirt, and brought them to the kitchen to wash. He set them on top of the logs on the fire, then covered them with new wood, and settled back with his own coffee and yet another of the Murder Mysteries, grinning when he saw his own mark on the fifth page. Oh how wrong he had been. 

Half an hour later, Kylo headed up the stairs. A slight groan from the right hand room told him his instinct was correct. He knocked on Rey's door.

"I'm not asleep – come in." She was curled up on the bed, looking miserable. Kylo held out a towel-wrapped bundle with a smile on his face. 

"You probably could make use of this." He felt the side of it. "It's not terribly warm, but I've got a second one heating that'll be much better in half an hour."

She reached out to take it, and almost dropped the entire bundle when she felt the weight. "Heated stone?"

"It's old-fashioned, but it works. Holds the heat quite a while. Wrap yourself around that and try and get some sleep."

"Thank you." She tucked the wrapped rock under the covers, then reached out for his hand. "I'm ungrateful sometimes, but I do appreciate what you're doing."

He sat on the side of the bed, took her hand, and chafed it. "Is there anything else that might help?"

"I don't know. Can't think." She squeezed his hand back. "I just don't seem to be able to relax."

"Let me try something." Letting go of her hand, he moved to the end of the bed and untucked her feet from the quilt and sheet. He gently levered one up, and began a slow, methodical rubbing from her toes up to her ankles and back. 

After a minute or so, she smiled and groaned. "That is unbelievable. Please don't stop. Where did you learn that?"

"My mother used to do it for me when I couldn't sleep." _In this very bed, no less._

"She sounds lovely. Is she still alive?"

"I haven't seen her in years." _But she sent me the mask, so she must be_. "She was a strong woman. Determined to make her own way in the world. "

"Tell me something about her."

"Well, when the State was first aiming to flood our town, she formed a resistance group against it. She was all sweetness and light to the authorities, but they kept finding their bulldozers' batteries flat, or the bolts missing out of the steering columns on the graders, and they had no idea she was creeping in at night with her friends. One time, she told me, they carved a pile of wooden fish and painted them, and put them in the middle of the river so you could only just see the colours, then they took photographs and sent them to Fisheries and Wildlife, claiming they were a rare type of trout only found in this one place, to try and get the dam cancelled. And her friends broke into the corporation's office and stole the plans to the dam, found out it was being supported by corrupt politicians. The worst part was when she faced up to the president of the development corporation, who showed up to the dam works on the day she chained herself to a tree at the front of the track. It was pouring rain, bitterly cold, and the mud was everywhere. Two of her fellow protesters had actually been hurt by a tractor but she wasn't moving, no, not her. You should have seen her. She's … she was tiny, like you, but so brave, standing up to the president in his black suit and raincoat and large rain hat. It wasn't until later that … you're asleep." He put her feet back under the quilt and tucked them in. 

Kylo left her sleeping until well after noon, heating the soup up for himself and leaving her portion ready for when she emerged. He followed her footsteps through the wall, noting that she was much slower than usual and halted at the door to the kitchen. When she came in, she was carrying several things in her arms.

"Thanks for the rock. And the footrub. I don't think I've ever gone to sleep so fast before."

"You're welcome. Ready for some lunch?"

"I … I'm going to take a shower, then get some washing done. Give me fifteen." She carried the bundle through to the bathroom, and he noticed she had the bedsheets with her, wrapped around her waist like a toga. Nodding to himself, he turned the soup back on and put the bread in the toaster. 

Rey finished her lunch, her demeanour much perkier than it had been that morning. 

"The first day is always the worst, and that hot stone really helped. Thank you."

"Do you think you'll need another one tonight?"

"Possibly." She grimaced. "Sometimes I hate my body. At least it only usually lasts four days. But I'm definitely not studying this afternoon. My brain isn't up to it. Or reading. Serious painkillers mean serious brainfog. What else have you got to do here?"

"Not much."

"I hadn't noticed a telly." 

Kylo smiled at the London accent that came through sometimes. "There never was one here. No signal." _And my mother would never allow it. Not even for a video player. She valued the quiet._ "But I think there's some board games in the lounge room. When you're finished?"

"Sounds good." 

When the soup was finished, Rey set up a rack from the linen closet in the lounge room, while Kylo rummaged through the small cupboard there and unearthed a couple of battered boxes. Taking them through to the dining room and the table they hadn't yet used, he opened one up and set up the board. He lined the blue and red pieces up on each side, pleased that the gold markings were still visible. 

"What's this?"

"It's a strategy game."

"But it looks like a space movie."

He held up his favourite piece. "Well, it was originally a military strategy game, but they put out a set for the Space Wars movies. See – this one has the Dark Emperor on it." He handed it over, and she laughed.

"It looks a bit like Poppy." She handed it back, and he started explaining the rules to her. 

Three hours and eight games later, Rey stretched her arms above her head. "Six-two. You're very good at this."

"You've got the hang of it nicely." Kylo was confused. He'd intended to be easy on her for the first couple of games, but she'd worked out the main tactics quickly and he found it a struggle to beat her. Then suddenly she was losing badly, taking huge gambles that didn't pay off. 

"One more game, and the loser pays a forfeit." She had that smile on again, and he was immediately on his guard. 

"What forfeit?"

"If you win, I make dinner?"

"Including the washing up? Sounds fair. What about if you win?" Kylo collected the pieces on his side again.

"A future favour."

"That's a dangerous bet."

"I promise it won't be more than you can do."

Kylo looked closely, but her face was down studying the pieces. Her last game had been terrible. She had ground his defences down, leaving him with the lowly fighters, but then sent the highest level piece of her set straight onto a thermal detonator. It had only taken three more turns for him to capture her token. "Right. But I want dessert tonight too."

"Deal." She held up one of each side in separate fists. "Choose who goes first."

He chose the Dark side, and they set up their pieces and played. Suddenly it was a different game, as if having a prize to play for had given her the clues she needed to beat him. Not ten minutes later, he watched in disbelief as she destroyed his well-fortified base and captured the light sword. 

"Does this mean you're making dessert, Kylo Ren, Lord of the Dark Side and no-longer possessor of the prize?"

"If that's what you want as your future favour."

"No it's not. I'm going to make dinner anyway, and dessert, but you still owe me." Grinning, she packed the pieces back in their box. "I think I should hit your bookshelf now."

Dinner that night was the over-salted over-processed frozen food packs, and a fresh stack of pancakes for dessert. Rey checked the washing and declared it still damp, leaving the rack where it sat behind the old sofa, then she dragged out the second rock as Kylo banked the fire. Grabbing a spare set of sheets from the linen closet and a pair of old towels for the rock, she headed upstairs, taking a glass of water with her. When he looked in on her on his own way to bed, she was a motionless shape in the dark. 

Breakfast the next morning was early – Kylo called in to Rey at eight when he headed down for his shower, and she was yelling through the bathroom door while he finished.

"You could just let me in to start while you're getting dressed. I wouldn't look. Honest!"

"Lava pits."

"Maybe I wouldn't tell him. You certainly wouldn't."

He opened the door to find her hopping from one foot to the other.

"What?"

"It's cold. Have you thought about having a mat here or something?"

"Or you could wear socks down."

"Oh shush." She pushed past him and into the bathroom, shutting the door in his face. 

He shook his head. "We need to leave at nine to be in town in time." Walking away to make the oatmeal and coffee, he started a mental list of what they needed. Take in the garbage and throw it in the dumpster behind the bar. More bacon, milk, some fresh fruit would be nice if he could find any, and books. There had to be something in that tiny store. 

She was prompt, which surprised him. He shouldn't be by now – Rey Jackson was making it a habit to not fit into the stereotypes he had thought when he first met her. He'd never been at her grandfather's Sunday lunches, and the one time he'd attended a family party, he'd been told she was on holidays in Paris. Her grandfather's present for something or other. But when he'd picked her up four days before at her Naboo townhome, she matched his preconceived notions perfectly. The high pigtails, the ultra-short denim cutoffs and puffy jacket – she'd even blown bubblegum then stretched the gum out on her finger before shaking it off and dropping it on the sidewalk. The housekeeper, Miss Phasma, brought out one of her bags, and the police officer guarding the front door carried the other down to the car. Several more of Naboo's finest were working in the back of the house, where Plutt's body had been found against the door to the tiny back garden. Kylo made Rey stay in the car while he went in to look. 

The holes in each side of Plutt's chest and the final one to his forehead had all been made by the same ice-pick, said icepick holding his head _to_ the door and making the cause of death fairly easy to determine. When he got back to the car, Rey didn't seem upset – another thing that surprised him. He would have expected a sheltered innocent young lass like her to be nervous, freaking out or even outright terrified. Instead, she'd put her feet up on the dashboard, (he grumped at her to take them down, which she did with a grin), slipped on the earphones and been silent for nearly the whole trip.

No, there was one thing she'd complained about. He'd insisted on giving her phone to the housekeeper. It would too easy for it to be traced – in fact, he'd be surprised if her grandfather hadn't arranged for some sort of tracker on it already. The way she whined about it, it was as if he had cut off her nose and nailed it to the front door. He still found it surprising that a young woman would know the names she called him, although that was the first time anyone but his mother had used the insult _nerfherder_. It didn't help that he'd grinned at the small woman yelling it at him.

But now she was lively, interesting, intelligent and engaging. She dressed appropriate to the weather and situation, and behaved like any sensible, hard-working young woman. And she accepted responsibility for her actions, and worked hard to keep the atmosphere civil. More than civil. He was starting to have his suspicions about her character, and those suspicions were disturbing. And distracting. 

Pulling into Main Street, he had to travel up and down a couple of times to find a parking space, finally grabbing one at the very end. It meant he'd have to walk past the library to get to the bar, but the day was dim and drizzling, and he was well wrapped in his dark coat, thin scarf and mask. He left Rey at the front of the library with instructions to find him back at the car at twelve, then he turned and headed back to the store. There were two hours to kill, and he didn't want to spend them all in the crowded petri dish that was Chalmun's bar. At least he could get the shopping done and in the car while he waited. In this weather, the car was cold enough that the food wouldn't suffer. 

The pitiful shelf at the store included a dozen books, most of which were movie tie-ins or airport novels, and one that seemed to be the third in a long series of a space opera, with no sign of the first two. He abandoned them with a sigh, and collected the rest of the groceries. The car would be the best place to make the call anyway, away from any prying eyes and curious ears.

Once more the phone rang twice before being answered, and once more the answer was silence.

"Hux. Hi. All ok?"

"Ren. I'll go see if the old man's awake. He's not well."

"Thanks." Kylo waited while the tinny music started again, then it stopped and he heard Miss Phasma talking about getting the old man sitting up. Good of Palpatine to give her work once Rey was out of the house. Then the Don's voice came on, wheezing and whispering.

"Are you safe?"

"Yes."

"And my granddaughter?"

"She's having her lesson at the library."

"Eating properly?"

"She's feeding me well. Made me pancakes for dessert."

"Good. We've got a problem. The vultures are circling. I think Snoke has plans." A gasp, and a hacking cough. "You haven't caught this stupid virus?"

"If I had, it'd be showing by now."

"Maybe not. It can take up to two weeks. If either of you get sick, get out of there. Go over the mountains, find a big town, and hit the hospital. Don't come to Naboo." The voice was getting more and more strained. "You didn't come to the meeting two weeks ago, did you? Why not?"

"You sent me to check on Canady's place while he was in the meeting, remember? And then deliver those packages across town."

"Oh right. Look, I'm not ready for this."

"For what?"

"I'm dying, Ren." The old man's voice was down to a breathless wheeze. "I wasn't supposed to go like this. Not gasping my last to a stupid virus. I've got her sorted – trust fund. She'll be fine. But if I go, the whole thing will disintegrate like an exploding _Morte Nera_. Make sure you're ok."

"Don't know how I can from here, but I'll try." Kylo shook his head. Palpatine might be a nasty piece of work, but this was no way to die. 

"I've told Hux I don't want the ventilator. If they put me on that, I'll never come off. But I've got oxygen here. And drugs. If it gets bad, I don't want to know."

"Do I tell Rey?"

"No. She's got exams coming up. She's going to be _la più sorprendente studentessa di bellezza di sempre_. Make me proud. Better than that _puttana_ of a mother of hers, or her _Giuda_ of a father. She's _my_ granddaughter. Watch out for her, Ren. She's more than she seems." The phone dropped, and Kylo heard anguished wheezing and concerned voices. Then the phone was picked up again.

"Kylo? Do you need anything else? He's pretty sick." Hux, sounding worried. "How can I reach you?"

"You can't. I'll come back into town every couple of days, check for messages. And ring through. I've got to go."

He hung up and turned the phone off. He needed to sit in peace and quiet for a bit, think over what he heard. And although he didn't believe, he knew the old man did. For all his sins, Palpatine was a human being and was absolutely right. This was no way to die.

Kylo put his mask back on and headed for the church. Inside, the candles were keeping it above freezing, although the light was dim. The confessional was marked as open, so he lit a candle for the old man as he waited behind an elderly lady and what could only be her teenage grandson. Kylo sat thinking through the implications if Palpatine died. Or when. He had his orders. But did they still apply if the old man wasn't around?

The previous occupants left the confessional, heading up to say their rosaries and light another candle. The priest came out of his side with a cloth and a bottle of blue liquid, obviously being careful to disinfect between petitioners. He caught sight of Kylo and paused, then went into the booth and applied the solution. Then he came over to the chair. 

"You came in on Saturday."

"I sin a lot."

"I'll be back in a moment, my son. Please wait."

Kylo supposed even priests needed their bathroom breaks. He sat watching the candle nearby flicker in the silence, wondering how Rey's lesson was going. Then a firm hand grasped his shoulder, and a voice he hadn't heard in years spoke low.

"Hello, Ben."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _quando è arrivato il marchese_ \- When the Marquis arrives.  
>  _(edited for incorrect Italian - thank you to my mentor for that!)_  
>  _Morte Nera_ – Death Star  
>  _la più sorprendente studentessa di bellezza di sempre_ – Best beauty student ever.  
>  _puttana_ – whore  
>  _Giuda_ – Judas 
> 
> There are actually a few Star Wars Stratego sets. Here is the Palpatine piece – looks just like Poppy. https://www.dropbox.com/s/nq1uay24gyej2bi/Palpatine%20Statego%20piece.png?dl=0


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kylo has an offer of help from an unexpected source - although maybe he _should_ have expected it. Rey has come home from the lecture with a pile of homework, but the walk in the snow should cool things down, surely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I am well ahead of schedule, but it keeps getting longer, so I'm trying to update a bit more often. Hope you don't mind.)

"Hello, Uncle Luke."

"You'd better come with me." The old man led Kylo to the side door, and out into an office. There, the young priest from before was looking nervous.

"Is there anything else I can do for you, Your Grace?"

"Thank you, no. I need to talk to this inveterate sinner and persuade him to mend his ways." Luke stood aside to let the priest go past, then he stopped the younger man with a light touch on the arm. "Yes, there is one thing. If anyone comes in asking for us, it would be a blessing if you weren't to mention seeing us. Not today, not another time. We are not the ones they are looking for."

"Certainly, Your Grace." The priest bowed slightly, then left. Luke shut the door, and ushered Kylo to a chair.

"How did you know I was here?"

"We got a request to send Father Poe Dameron up to a particular remote rural church that I know well, to help with an FBI operation. Who do you think had to authorise it? Who do you think gave approval for Fathers Poe and Finn to be the contacts for a certain member of Palpatine's entourage, passing notes from him back to the FBI in Naboo? Your mother just said you weren't in Chandrilla, but the choice of priests made it obvious."

"They are rather inseparable." Kylo leaned back in the worn chair, and nodded when Luke held up a mug . "But this is very accommodating of the Archdiocese. Does the Pope let you get caught up in police operations now?"

Luke looked down at his plain robes, indicating just a basic priest. "We have a long way to claw back the respect of our people after that Searchlight case. I don't think any more archbishops of Naboo will be allowed to become Cardinals – too much pain attached to the past. It might be nearly twenty years, but there are still hundreds of people who will never trust a priest again. So I approved the work, then sent the information off to the Holy See. It's always easier to ask forgiveness than to request permission." Luke put the coffee in front of Kylo, and sat down with his own mug. "So tell me – do you think you might come back to finish your studies at the seminary after all this is over?"

"I doubt it." Kylo drank his coffee, surprised at the quality. But then he shouldn't be. When the Archbishop comes to visit, the special supplies come out. "I don't feel called to serve that way. This'll probably be my last big operation – my cover will be completely blown when all this comes out – but I can still make a difference. And that's what I want to do."

"Priests make a difference."

"A different difference."

Luke just sipped his own coffee. "I'm going to lose a lot of priests anyway. Even with masks and handwashing and social isolation, I have fifteen hundred clergy, and already over a hundred of them have caught this virus. Four are dead. Yet they will not stop – they want to do their jobs, minister to the congregations, visit the ill, Last Rites, performing funerals. And when someone is weeping and inconsolable because their aged mother died in a hospital surrounded by strangers, it is my priests who are holding their hands, wiping their tears and giving comfort. Many of them are old – do you remember how small your class was? It's been fewer every year. Now I am concerned the priests may be spreading the virus, but we test, and we wash, and we pray. Yet I think this will do more to destroy the church than anything has in the past."

"You could let women become priests. Or let them marry."

"Not until the sun rises in the west, the cock crows at midnight and the frog jumps up a tree." They both smiled at the phrase Luke had picked up in his travels. "But enough of that. I'm here for you, Ben."

"You can't call me that here. I'm _Kylo Ren._ "

"Kylo Ren, space cadet, mafia hitman, Capo to Don Palpatine, in charge of his own gambling dens and dodgy pawn shops, to whom the old man himself is beholden. You've done well to get where you are. So what do you need?"

"The clear communication channel. When does Poe arrive?"

"Tomorrow. And no, he's not bringing Finn with him. We might close our eyes to certain mature adult consensual relationships in the big city, but not out here. Poor Father Jerd's faith would be tested beyond what even he could stand." Luke shook his head. "I've had the word out to all the regional bases for the last three months, to let me know if you ever showed up and needed help. When you handed him your letter last Saturday and gave the code words, it took him four hours on his knees to get the nerve up to get in touch with my office. I think he'll be glad of the help from Poe. And it'll do that rapscallion a world of good to have a few quiet months up in the mountains. Now, are you all right for money?"

"I have plenty."

"What if I need to get in touch with you in a hurry? I suppose the cabin still has the worst reception between the East Coast and the Midlands?"

"Pretty much. And I leave my phone off when I'm not using it. But I come into town every few days. And definitely on Tuesdays."

"Or I could send someone out to the cabin if it's really important." Luke finished his coffee, and took Kylo's mug as well. "I want to show you something."

He led Kylo out to the church, then around the side of the sanctuary to the sacristy. The racks of vestments were a bright colour on the dim day, although many of them looked worn and dilapidated. Luke went to a large wickerwork hamper marked "Choir", and pulled it away from the wall. Reaching down, he pressed hard on the wooden slats that made up the dividing wall between the sacristy and the sanctuary. A section of the slats, a low doorway, popped open. It was about four foot high, four wide, and ten long – the length of the sanctuary – dark and musty. A thin layer of old gym mats lay on the floor, and there were slivers of light throughout.

"Why do I need to know this? Is it where you hide your church silver?"

"I'm showing you in case you _do_ need to know. There's a latch on the inside, which will stop anyone outside trying to get in. If you need to go there, let the priest know and he'll move the hamper back."

"Right." Kylo checked the doors – one to the outside, and the one back to the church proper – and the single, barred window. "Thank you. I hope I never do."

He helped Luke shut the trapdoor, then replace the hamper. Luke dusted his hands off, and ran them over the albs and chasubles, sighing at their sad state of repair.

"So, how's your young charge?"

"I … she's odd. I can't make her out at all."

"I spoke with one of her teachers. She's intelligent – I mean _scary_ intelligent. They say there isn't a math problem could make her pause. She could have gone to any University in the country, so it's no wonder she stayed in Naboo."

"And yet she's wasting her time and energy on a Beauty course." Kylo shook his head. "Spends hours on her books to get a piece of paper that will let her style people's hair better. Like I said, I can't understand her."

Luke gave him an odd look as they headed through the nave of the church. "Speaking of which, what time are you picking her up?"

"Midday."

"You've still got plenty of time. Now I know you don't have much faith these days, but I should probably still give you my blessing."

"Yes, Father Luke." Kylo gathered up his bag and smirked. He knew the title annoyed his uncle when it came from his one and only nephew. In the entrance, Luke stopped him, and reached into the stoup, then paused at the dry receptacle. He shrugged.

"Ben?"

"Yes?"

" Don't make me have to tell your mother any bad news. She'd kill me. Do you want the regular, or your special blessing?"

It had been too long, and his belief in the Church was gone, but there had been this joke between them. The one from the films he liked. "The special one, please."

"May the Force be with you."

"And with you, Uncle Luke." Kylo wanted to hug the old man, but it wouldn't do for Father Jerd to see that. And the virus was still around. Hoping Luke hadn't given him more than the blessing, he shouldered his satchel, slipped on his mask and headed back towards the bar.

Glancing in at the library, he saw Rey hunched over her notebooks and writing madly, although he couldn't make out what was happening on the screen. The place looked warm and dry, and he shook the dampness from his hair and wished there was somewhere else in town to get their lunch. Although the diner part of the bar had had signs up for a maple whoopie pie the other day. That was enough to make his mouth water – he hadn't had one of those for years. Poutine might reheat, but would become mushy. Not that that mattered too much. Buffalo wings? They should be all right. There was a boiled dinner, but he could make that himself.

Kylo made a selection of hot foods and a large whoopee pie which he carried back towards the library. Rey was chatting with Miss Holdo, saw him and came out, her mask in place. He would have handed her one of the bags to carry, but she had her own heavy satchel and another he didn't recognise.

"Need anything else? I don't intend to be back in town before Saturday."

"Give me five minutes."

"I need to get gas – I'll pick you up."

She nestled the spare bag and her study supplies in the back of the car, then ran back to the store. Kylo carefully put in his own bags, inhaling the spicy aroma from the food and hoping he wouldn't drool on his mask. Driving to the town's only gas station and trying not to wince at the prices, he was back to the main street less than ten minutes later. There was a space in front of the store again, and he grabbed it just in time to see the old man at the store hand a bag and what looked like a card over to Rey. She came out looking flushed, and stashed the bag in the back. Once more it clinked in a very agreeable manner.

The rain had cleared a lot of the snow off the road, but had Kylo worried. If the temperature dropped much more, icy rain would freeze on the branches, loading them until they broke off under the weight. It would freeze over the roof of the cabin if he wasn't there to make sure the internal temperature was high enough to stop it. And it would accumulate on the one power line into the property, bringing down the pylons and completely cutting the power to the cabin. While they didn't rely on electricity to keep warm, cooking on the hearth was tricky and the house would be dark. There were plenty of candles and torches, but the last time, 22 years before, the power had been off for three months as there was no priority for restoring the electricity to an unoccupied holiday home. He hoped it wouldn't happen again.

"How was the lecture?"

"Terrible." Rey stashed her mask in its tin once more. "Some of those concepts are very difficult to understand over the video, and without being able to run the experiments, it's harder than ever. I mean, obviously, no-one else can either, but I hate feeling as if I can't get my head around something that seems so basic. I have a ton of practical exercises I need to do – I've bought what I need. It'll be lonely doing them by myself. But the after-lecture discussion was good. It was so lovely to see … them …" She stopped, and stared out the window at the drizzle and the rising fog. The last few words had sounded strangled, and her whole body was hunched forward. Even the rain turning to new, fat snowflakes did not catch her attention.

"I'll need you to run an experiment when we get back."

She took a moment to answer. "What sort?"

"Heat transfer without the loss of integrity." When she said nothing, he continued. "The food needs reheating, but some of it won't be the same as when I bought it."

She shook herself and turned to him. The smile, though wan in comparison to normal, was back. "That sounds lovely. And I have a surprise for dinner."

Lunch turned out to be very edible, and the whoopee pie was so large that they agreed to have the remainder for dessert that night.

"Where do you keep your toolbox?" Rey was scribbling on a piece of paper. To his unpractised eyes, it looked more like something out of a Road Runner cartoon than something a beauty student should be working on, but perhaps she was looking for a diversion.

"Bottom of the linen cupboard, and some locked under the cabin. Is there something particular you're looking for?"

"I'll let you know." Rey settled back in her chair and sipped on her coffee. " I need some exercise - I'm going to go for a walk this afternoon. Wanna come?"

The sun was now out and gleaming off the freshly-fallen snow. A decent stretch of the whole body would do him good. "I'd better. Keep an eye on you."

"You think I'd get lost?"

"Or fall down a hole, or sprain your ankle and faint and get eaten by porgs."

"Porgs."

"Vicious little critters."

"That I've never heard of."

"City slicker." He was teasing her, but it had the correct effect. She started grinning.

"Are they related to _Wookies_?"

"Well, they're not huge great hairy things."

"But they're both imaginary." He kept his silence, and she burst out laughing at last. He liked her laugh. "Right. I'll dress properly then." She finished her coffee and piled the plates in the sink. "Meet you by the front door in ten?"

"Yeah." Kylo winced – his boots had become rather damp, but for some reason the idea of seeing her bounce through the snow put a smile on his face.

Not that all of her would be bouncing. He hadn't spotted much before the washcloth went up, but the breasts he'd glimpsed were small and pert. They'd barely be a handful for someone with normal-sized hands, and his were, frankly, enormous. There was a reason he didn't carry around small, easily-hidden handguns – to be large enough for him to use meant they couldn't really be hidden. His own revolver, safe in its holster around his waist, was large enough that it could be used as a club as well as a firearm, an option he preferred as it gave a great deal more control.

But yes. Those breasts.

Palpatine would have him skinned alive and rolled in salt before throwing him in the lava pits, for certain.

His thoughts were interrupted by Rey springing in front of him like a gazelle released from captivity. She bounded through the thin icy crust that lay under the new snow layers, sending sprays of fine snowflakes up in the air to settle down around her.

"Oh I needed this!" Throwing her arms wide open, Rey looked up to the sky and laughed. Her warm jacket and ski trousers kept the snow from sticking and melting, and her brightly-covered gloves showed magnificently against the white hummocks around. The trees looked like something from a Christmas card with their burdens of snow on every branch, and the sky was a glorious mid-blue that promised warmth without delivering it.

Despite her energy, the snow was still deep enough to make walking a chore. They made it a half-mile from the house before she stopped, brushing the now-falling snow off a boulder before she sat down.

"I don't know why you don't live here all the time. It's beautiful!"

She scooted over to give him space to sit, and despite not being tired, Kylo took the seat and rubbed his nose. His own scarf was too thin, made for dashing between buildings in Naboo on a damp winter's evening, not for a morning in a mountain town then walking through Endor National Park.

"I sometimes wish I could." He propped his feet on a lump under the snow that revealed itself as a burnt-out tree trunk. "It's peaceful, and secluded. I'd have to fix up the cabin properly, get something that could handle heavy snow, a bit more food storage area. Probably cut back the forest around the cabin – there was a forest fire here years ago, and we were lucky the cabin didn't burn. Huge swathes of the forest were lost. This log is probably from then. But it would be lovely to get away from everything."

"What's _everything_ , Kylo?" She reached over and took his hand. "You never relax, you're always looking around and keeping watch. Do you really think someone's going to come all the way up here to try and kill me? And if they are, aren't you worried about yourself?"

"I can look after both of us. It's my job." It was comforting, holding her hand. It was as if she was reminding him that she was a human being and not just a cause for employment.

"With your gun?"

"And my wits and my reflexes." He squeezed her hand and put it down. He had to be careful. She was becoming friendly, close – and that was dangerous.

"And your brilliant soup-warming skills. We'll never go hungry while you're around."

"Considering it's _your_ surprise for dinner tonight, I think we could call this a team effort. Now it's heading towards sundown – we should be getting back." He pushed himself up off the rock, then turned to help her. She put her hands out for him to pull her up, but the burnt log rolled under her foot as she did, and suddenly she was propelled into his arms."

"Rey! Are you all right?"

She was now dangling from his arms, and scrabbling to find a foothold on the icy surface just below her boots. He hauled her right up until her feet were off the ground, and she gasped.

And put her arms around his neck and kissed him.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aftermath of a kiss, and a new name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm coping with the whole COVID situation by writing more and updating more often. And baking. I hope you don't mind.

Her lips were cold, and unpractised, but the kiss itself was warm and warming. For two, three, four seconds he held her there, then she pulled back and he set her on the ground.

And prayed she hadn't noticed his body's reaction to hers.

Rey looked up at him, touched his cheek, then turned to go back to the house. It took Kylo a moment to regain his composure (and be grateful for the baggy long jacket he was wearing) before he started following her. He could still feel the burn of her lips, the grip of her arms, and the impending warmth of the lava pits.

They'd broken a deep path on the way down, so the walk back was much easier. Rey trudged ahead, turning from time to time to smile at him then continue. As they approached the cabin, the snow started falling heavily, and she stopped near the car and stood looking at the house.

"So you've been lying to my grandfather? Or did he make an assumption that you never bothered to correct?"

Kylo's heart stopped. He'd been so careful, kept his contacts infrequent and undetectable – or so he thought. What had she found out?

"Or are you bi? And just forgot to mention that side to Poppy when he asked you to look after me?"

"I'm … _what_?" He came up beside her where she was still looking over the house, measuring up proportions with her hands like an artist as the snowflakes fell. There were six inches of snow on the roof again, mounding on the skylights and absent from around the chimney. "What did you say?"

"Oh yes, I was warned that you were a _finocchio_." She turned and grinned at him. "Isn't it obvious? You've worked for Poppy for four years, and never had a girlfriend or even been seen with a girl in all that time. The only person you've talked to is his pretty redheaded bodyguard, and Hux makes no secret of his preferences. Besides," she held up her hands again, taking proportions this time of the sides of his head. "you've got _ricchione_."

"What the hell are _ricchione_?"

"You don't know?" She put her hands down. "Big ears. It's a sign of … well, it's a sign."

It took all Kylo's self-control to not yell at her. He'd been shockingly hot-tempered in his younger days, although he'd managed to keep it under control while working for the Don. Being a brawler would not have helped him at all. So he didn't lash out. But he did turn and walk back to the cabin silently, stalking hard through the snow and clambering over the large mound still at the front. He could hear her following, slipping a little on the icy patches. At the entrance, he banged his boots to get the snow off them then slipped them off as he walked in the door, scooping them up to put in front of the fire. It would take until the next day to dry them. He could cope without for that long.

Returning to the porch, he hung up his coat and now-sodden scarf, and adjusted his holster so that it didn't pull. Rey had already put up her own coat, and scampered inside towards the kitchen. For a minute he stared unthinkingly at her coat, its bright pink hues obvious even in the dimming light from the front. Then he shook his head, disgusted at his own foolishness. Four years of being quiet, saying nothing, giving away nothing, and he had almost blown it to this slip of a girl. If someone as naïve as her could bring him close to saying things he didn't mean to say, perhaps it was time to get out of this business. He just needed to finish this job, and then he could go.

But he couldn't leave her unprotected. And if he left now, she might not be safe.

Then he laughed out loud. Four years of acting a part, and _this_ was what the audience had thought he was portraying. No wonder he'd been considered safe to look after the _Principessa_. He'd almost been _too_ good – although it was a miracle that he'd not looked at a woman all this time. If Palpatine thought he'd been lying about this, what else would the old Don think he'd been covering up? It was only because he'd put his body and soul into the job that he hadn't had time for anything else. _Driven_ was a word often used to describe him. Or _obsessed_. And yet this tiny package had almost broken his cover.

And kissed him.

He'd have to keep playing it cool. She was young, inexperienced. She was probably just testing him. Either to make sure he was on her side, or because she was a horny almost-teenager stuck in a cabin with a man. It probably wouldn't matter _what_ man. She'd be making the moves on anything under 40. Which meant that at 30, he was in danger.

And had to be more chill than the snakes in the woodpile.

He bounded up the stairs to get a warm pair of socks, and his trainers. Checking his bag for any sign of tampering, he pulled out a balled-up pair and slipped them on, enjoying how a simple thing like clean and dry socks could give such pleasure. The wet ones went back downstairs to hang over the firescreen, and he stoked the fire at the same time.

Rey pleaded a headache, and went upstairs for a short sleep before dinner, but before she did she handed over the extra bag she had acquired at the library. At his raised eyebrow, she grinned.

"Miss Holdo thought you might like some new things to read." Inside the bag was a variety of books, all stamped _Deaccessioned_. "She said she was clearing out the shelves, and you'd be doing her a favour. Here. She particularly recommended this one." Rey reached in and pulled out _The Road to Science Fiction Vol. 3._ There was a scrap of paper showing where some previous reader must have stopped and left a bookmark in place.

Kylo waited until Rey was upstairs before opening the book. On the scrap, in a childish hand, a drawing showed a black-clad spaceman with a laser pistol standing under a dark flag. He stared at it, then smiled at the words _Kylo Ren_ underneath. He'd been eight when he drew it, and heartbroken when he'd lost it. It must have been in a book he'd returned, because he had never read this one. And it meant one more person knew who he was and where. But this had to be a signal that she would not betray him. When he went to town later in the week, he would go and talk to Miss Holdo.

Settling down on the couch and tucking the bookmark at the end of the book, he started at the beginning. _2217 Time Zone V (EST) 7 Nov. 1970--NTC-- "Pop's Place": I was polishing a brandy snifter when the Unmarried Mother came in ..._

He'd just finished _The Cold Equations_ when he heard Rey coming down the stairs. He noticed the drop in temperature, and built the fire up while she headed for the kitchen. Shortly afterwards something smelled wonderful, and she called him into a steak dinner that had him salivating as soon as he saw it.

"You really are very good at this."

"Well, your turn tomorrow night."

"Fair enough."

"And not soup."

"Oh."

"There's plenty of choice." She put some more sour cream on her baked potato, her glass of water refracting the light from the bulb above them. It also showed her face, thoughtful, almost guilty. He waited. She wasn't very subtle about things; no doubt she would say what was bothering her soon.

"And I'm sorry. If you're gay, that's your business. I was just … I wasn't sure. The way you looked at me in the bath – I wanted to know. But it's up to you to tell me."

"So you kissed me to find out if I was into women."

"Into … yes, women." She took a sip of water.

"Am I the first man you've ever kissed?"

"Of course not!" She blushed, and looked away.

"So that's a _yes_."

"Oh come on. What do you think Poppy would do if I _had_ kissed anyone."

"He'd kill me." Kylo took his own water glass and raised it to her. "I am honoured to be your first kiss, _Principessa_ , but I think perhaps we can both agree not to tell your grandfather about it. I doubt if he'd be as forgiving of you as well."

"Perhaps." A drop of water fell on the wooden table, and she started making shapes with it like a child fingerpainting. "Hypothetically speaking, does it count if the other person kissed me first?"

"Who?"

"Never mind. Just a thought."

"Do you mean, were you _my_ first kiss? No. No, I've definitely had some experience in kissing over the years."

"Oh." She looked up at him, blushing slightly. "So you'd be able to teach me."

"What? _No_!" The glass only just made it down to the table, although a little sloshed over the edge. "No. Definitely not."

"Why not?"

"You're too young ..."

"22!"

"… and you're only feeling like that because I'm the only man around."

"Not true. Unkar Plutt was my bodyguard for years, and I _certainly_ didn't _ever_ want to kiss him." She shuddered. "And besides, there's guys in my course, and I don't want to kiss any of them either."

"Have you considered that they're probably gay too. Straight guys don't tend to take beauty courses."

She looked about to say something, but he laid his hand on hers.

"Let me explain something to you."

"Well?"

"I'm your bodyguard."

"And you're not Kevin Costner and I'm not Whitney Houston, yet here we are."

"Yes, but Whitney Houston's grandfather wasn't going to … never mind."

She snorted. "Yeah. Never mind. _That_ was what you wanted to explain?"

"It's … a professional relationship. You and I."

"Like a sex worker?"

It was a good thing he wasn't drinking wine at that point – the stains would never have come out of the wooden tabletop. "No! No, I mean that my job is to protect you, but if you start … if you regard me as anything else but your grandfather's employee, and we get into a situation, I need you to do whatever I tell you to. To run, or to hide, or not to interfere if there's a fight. And if you start seeing me as more than just your bodyguard, you might not do that." He grabbed a paper towel and mopped up most of the water. "Although thank you for referring to them as _sex workers_."

"People you know?"

"Some."

"You'll have to tell me one day."

"One day. But can you do it?"

"See this as a professional relationship? I suppose." She looked uncomfortable, and it worried him. It can't be easy having a contract out on you, and he was sure it must be weighing on her, but he didn't know how to help. Get her to talk about it? Or just keep reassuring her? Maybe there was something concrete he could have her do.

"It has to be. I'm sorry, Rey."

She rubbed her hands over her face, as if to wash something off. "If it wasn't?"

He sighed. He should have known she'd ask that. "It is what it is. If it wasn't, if I hadn't been assigned to keep you safe, we might not even have met. And if we had, could you really see your grandfather being happy with you dating one of his Capos?"

"No-one would be good enough for me, in his eyes. You're right." Her face was forlorn, and the sadness cut right into Kylo's soul. "I don't think he approved of my parents' marriage. Mama was his only daughter, and … no-one told me specifically, but I think that's why they ran away. Because Poppy didn't want them together." She reached across the table and squeezed his hand. "I'm not sorry that I kissed you, but I don't want to get you into trouble with Poppy. From now on, you might get a quick friends-only kiss on the forehead at bedtime, but that'll be it. Will that be all right?"

"I think we can cope with that. Like a brother and sister."

"My big brother." The smile was back – the sad one. But a smile at least. "There is one thing I do need from you, though."

"It depends."

"A new name."

"You don't like _Rey_?"

"I'm still not keen on you using _Principessa_." She scowled. "When Poppy uses it, he's showing me off, like a china doll or something special he found at an antiques shop. And some of his people use it, like Mr Hux, and … and Snoke." It looked for a moment to Kylo that she had swallowed bitter aloes, so distasteful was her expression. "I was trying it for the week, letting you use it, but it's not me."

"What would you like me to call you?" He knew what this was. She wanted something that was his, and his alone. If she couldn't have the man, the name would do.

Although it had been what his father would call his mother. _Your Highness_. And in all the years and the arguments and the frustrations, it had been the thing that would bring a smile to her face.

He dredged his mind for Italian endearments. " _Topolina_?"

"Too cute."

" _Passerotta_?"

"That's for little kids."

" _Patatina_!"

"I am _not_ a potato!" She flicked a bit of water at him. "Why not something that's not Italian?"

"I'll have to think about it."

She left it at that, although the look of extreme suspicion on her face only had him laughing. He just hated seeing her so low. That was the reason for the teasing, surely.

Two hours later, Rey came past him as he was reading on the couch. Toothbrush in hand as she headed off to bed, she kissed the top of his head and patted it in a rather condescending manner.

"Goodnight, Kylo."

"Goodnight, Kitten."

She stopped and stared at him, but he only grinned back at her.

" _Kitten_?"

"It fits."

"Fine, then." She swung back around to head up the stairs, but not before he spotted a soft smile on her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Finocchio_ – Faggot (comes from "Fennel", no idea why)  
>  _Ricchione_ – Calling someone ricchione means their large ears indicate they are at least bisexual.   
> _Topolina_ – Little mouse  
>  _Passerotta_ – Sparrow Chick, usually only used, as Rey says, for little children.  
>  _Patatina_ – Little Potato
> 
> _Much thanks to Miss Boss Woman Sir for checking the Italian for me._


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kylo decides Rey needs two things - the truth about her grandfather's condition, and to try using his revolver. It's a job. So why is he starting to get personally involved?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _(I warned you it would be a slow burn)_

Wednesday dawned grey and miserable. A freezing fog filled the valley and crept into the cabin under the front door and down the chimney; the dampness inside doing more to make things uncomfortable than the cold did. Kylo had banked the fire the night before, but obviously not enough to combat the bitter chill. Outside, its supercooled droplets froze as soon as they touched anything, leaving a layer of ice around the doors and windows and hanging from every external point. Kylo woke to the crashing sounds of a tree brought down by the weight of ice on its boughs, and the shout from Rey as she heard it.

"Today's going to be bad," Kylo called as he dressed himself as quickly as he could in the darkened room. The wan glow through the skylight was filtered through the layer of ice that covered it. "I'll get the fire going – don't try getting up until the place is a bit warmer."

He put his coat on downstairs, then went to get to the last of wood on the porch. It took him three or four shoves to get the door to open, the ice that had cemented it in place cracking as Kylo broke through. The wood also had a thin layer of ice on it, but he was able to prise most of it off. There would be enough dry wood underneath to get the fire going at least, and he could stack the ice-covered pieces beside it. Cruel though the day was, he would have to haul another load down from the woodpile. At least today the snakes would be as immobile as they could get.

He was bringing the armful of wood through the door when he heard a cry from upstairs. Dropping the logs on the kitchen floor, he unholstered his gun and raced up the stairs. He burst through Rey's door, his heart racing and his eyes looking everywhere for the threat. Instead, Rey was sitting up in bed, her face red and her eyes bright.

"I heard something."

"I … I was dozing. I had a bad dream." She was wearing some sort of fluffy concoction that must have been too hot as she had unzipped the front all the way down. The edges were just far enough apart that her breasts were showing, small and perfect, flushed and erect. The dream must have been truly terrible.

"Oh." He holstered his gun, and backed out as she pulled the quilt up higher, covering most of the view. "Tell me about it at breakfast, if you want. I should have the heat up in a quarter hour."

He grabbed his towel and clean clothes before heading downstairs, trying to dispel the concern about his charge. She might be an adult, but she wasn't that far off childhood. The stress of the contract, being dragged up the mountains by a man she had never met before, being isolated from her friends and classmates – if all she was having were nightmares, she was fortunate beyond belief.

It didn't take long to pick the wood up from the kitchen floor. It had been built of the same stone that made up the hearth and fireplace, and the foundations of the cabin itself. Dropping a load of wood on the floor was far more detrimental to the wood than the flagstones, and this wasn't the first time a log had splintered into myriad pieces.

The fire was still smouldering from where he had banked it the night before, but only just. Kylo thanked his arsonist tendencies over the years as he carefully placed dry bark and thin slivers of shattered wood over the coals and breathed gently, bringing the glow up to a bright light then a tiny flame which took the offered fuel and grew rapidly. While the edges of a couple of the logs were damp, most were dry enough that he just heaped them on, knowing they'd burn well. He was more worried about ice than snow on the roof, but it wouldn't hurt to clear the buildup again, even if it meant he'd be outside in this bitter weather. He headed for a hot shower, confident in the knowledge that by the time he came out, the house would be a great deal warmer.

He passed Rey on the stairs as she headed for her own morning ablutions. She had a dressing gown on over her nightwear, which seemed to be fluffy all over if the fabric on her shins and feet was any indication.

"Oatmeal?"

"Please. It'll be perfect today." She couldn't meet his eyes, and he wondered how terrible the dream had been. Hopefully a warm shower and a hot breakfast would help calm her down.

It didn't. She ate her oatmeal slowly, and grimaced at the coffee, taking a while to drink it. The light outside faded even more, and the sound of the snow coming off the roof a half hour later made her jump and look as if she were going to cry.

Kylo's heart sank at the sight of her, dark rings around her puffy eyes. "Are you having trouble sleeping?"

"No … yes. Sort of." She stared down into her mug, seeking answers in the swirls.

"Is it because of what happened at your house? Plutt's death? The contract?"

Her shoulders dropped a little. "I wish I was back there. That's some of it – I know I'm here for my safety, but I can't help thinking I'd be safer back in Naboo. I could move into Poppy's place for a while. He has excellent protection."

"About that." Kylo took a deep breath, and decided that some orders needed to be disobeyed. Besides, which would be worse – being told your grandfather was ill and possibly dying then finding out he had died, or suddenly being told he was dead. "You can't go to your grandfather's house. It's not safe there either."

"He has Hux! And Snoke!" She looked up now, her eyes like those of a frightened deer trying to negotiate with a hunter. "What could get past them?"

"Rey?" He reached across the table and took both her hands in his. They were lost inside his large fists, her fingers barely filling the space. He held them firmly, his thumb gently rubbing the webbing between her thumb and palm. "He has the virus."

She gasped, and turned her hands to hold his. "How bad?" He paused, and she gripped tighter. "Don't lie to me. He told you not to tell me, didn't he?"

"Yes."

" _How bad_?"

"He thinks he's dying." Now it was his eyes that couldn't meet hers. "He might be right. He doesn't want to go to hospital, but if he gets worse, he might have to."

"I have to go back."

"No, you can't, Rey. If you do, if you go to his house, you are in danger. You'll catch it. You could die as well."

"But I need to look after him!"

"Miss Phasma's looking after him. And Hux. And the chances are high that they've got the virus too. No, you're much safer here." Finally he could look at her. It was her safety he was worried for, and as bodyguard, he was as responsible for protecting her from a virus as from a bullet. "I don't want you to die."

He said the words meaning _I will keep you safe_ , but as soon as he said them, he knew he also meant _I couldn't bear it if anything happened to you_. He had been given the responsibility for this woman's life as a job. Now, it was personal.

"I feel so helpless here." She shook her head. "I've been … powerless … so often. And when I am, bad things happen. If I could do something, make something happen… That's the nightmares I have. I'm frozen, terrified, held down or too scared to move, and something's coming for me. Something I can't stop. I could, if I could do something, but when I _can't_ , the fear holds me."

"Things happened?"

She nodded, once more looking down onto the table. His heart breaking for her, Kylo went around to sit beside her and wrapped his arms around her. She put her head down on the table and he could tell from the shaking of her shoulders that she was crying.

"You don't have to tell me. Unless you want to." She shook her head, and he stroked her hair as he continued. "But I can teach you some things, show you ways to make you less passive. That's one of the worst things, I've noticed. If you're afraid and you freeze, you're helpless. Can I teach you ways to keep moving?"

Finally she nodded and raised her head, wiping her eyes with her hand. "Yes. Please. I'd like that. Everything I do, it's about _not_ doing something. I need to change that."

"Then we'll start when you've finished your breakfast."

"Do I get to use your gun?"

"What? _NO!_ " He pulled back, checking automatically that it was still in its holster.

"Why not?"

Sighing, he pulled it out, opened the chamber and shook the bullets out, checked there wasn't one in the barrel, and handed it to her. As he expected, she almost dropped it.

"You can barely hold it now. When it fires, it has one hell of a kick. You'd probably break your wrists."

"Show me."

He was about to object, then reconsidered. "After breakfast. I'll help you fire it once, to satisfy your curiosity. But that'll be it."

"Because it's dangerous?"

"Because it's illegal here. I really shouldn't even have it here in the National Park, but I need it for my job. We'll shoot at a tree.

"Okay. Thank you." She handed the gun back, and he reloaded it. Accidents don't happen by being too careful.

"If I _was_ to have a gun, what sort should I have?"

"I don't think you should."

"You don't think women should have guns?"

"Not that. Not that at all. But I think that for the meantime, while all this is happening, you're safer without one." She gave him a look of extreme disbelief, and he took the chance to smooth back a lock of hair that had fallen onto her face. "Look, people with guns feel cocky. Especially if they're not properly trained."

"You trained?"

"Yes." _At the Academy_. "But a lot of the people you see with guns feel like just carrying one is a magical protection against danger. They're certain that if they're in a situation with a rampaging shooter, like one of those mass shootings you hear about, they'll definitely be able to take out the gunman. Most of the time, it means they stay standing when they should be taking cover, or they're wildly firing while the other person has a bead on them. If you don't have a gun, you'll try and get out of danger. You'll run, or hide. A much better option."

"What about if I found a hiding place and _then_ tried to shoot back?"

"Well, yes, that would work, but that's not how most people act. They think that guns make them into this big, macho hero. It really makes them into ballistic targets. So no, until you've been properly trained, you don't get a gun."

She handed the revolver back reluctantly, then looked out the kitchen window to the snow behind the house. "So we need to go out in that?"

"'Fraid so. We need the wood, and I should clear the snow. I won't die. It's not that cold."

"I suppose. And it would be foolish to fire the gun inside."

"Foolish and deafening."

"I'll get my coat."

Kylo pinned a piece of paper to a tree that stood against the hill. With their backs to the house, he showed her first how to do it.

"Rules first. When someone hands you a gun, no matter what they've said or done, assume it's loaded. Even if you know it's empty, check it anyway. Do not put your finger on the trigger until you're ready to fire. Never point it at anything you don't want hurt or destroyed – whether it's another person, or your mother's favourite vase."

"I sense a story there."

"Concentrate." He opened the cylinder and showed her the bullets in their chambers. "This one is loaded and ready to go. Also, last rule: when shooting, make sure you know what's behind your target. The tree is fine, because it backs onto the slope. Now, just feel the weight."

Rey took the gun, and he saw her brace. Looking up at him, she grimaced. "I see what you mean."

He took it back carefully, then stood beside her and raised the gun to point at the tree.

"This is a double-action revolver. That means there are two ways to fire it. If I pull the hammer right back, I can pull the trigger with only a little force." The gun fired immediately, echoing through the valley. Twenty feet away from them, the piece of paper showed a large black spot slightly below its centre. "You never leave the hammer like that. While I would be surprised if it were easily knocked, you really don't want it to be that vulnerable. These guns don't have a safety, but as long as they're not cocked, they take a lot of effort.

Now that the hammer was against the pin, he lifted the gun again and fired it twice, the cylinder moving around each time. Two more marks showed on the paper. "Did you see how much more I had to pull? That's because it has to move to the next chamber each time."

"I saw."

"Your turn. Come here." He moved so that he was facing the target with her between his arms. Handing her the gun with the business end pointing towards the tree, he helped position her hands, one holding the gun and the other supporting her wrist. "We'll do the single action first. Is your finger on the outside of the trigger guard?"

She wiggled it to prove. "Yes. So I pull the hammer back?"

"Until it clicks." She did so, and he nodded. "Now, take a deep breath, point the nozzle towards the target, and gently squeeze the trigger."

"How hard … OH!" The gun discharged and kicked up hard. It was only Kylo's firm grip and anticipation that stopped the butt of the gun slamming into Rey's face. Rey gasped, and almost dropped the gun, but managed to hold onto it. "You're right. That could have been nasty."

"Do you want another?"

"Let me try." She took another deep breath, lifted the gun and squeezed the trigger. This time, from the resting position, the hammer moved very slowly back until it reached its zenith, then fired. She only managed the one shot, letting the gun sag down afterwards, but at least this time she had managed the recoil quite well.

There were no new marks on the paper.

"I see what you mean. My arms ache already." She went to hand the gun back to him, then stopped and flipped out the cylinder. "So one round left."

Kylo took the revolver and emptied out the cylinder, putting the spent jackets in his pocket and reloading it. "I prefer to keep it ready to go at all times."

"I'll remember that."

"For you, try and have something to rest the gun on. It'll help reduce that kick, and make you more likely to hit something. But we can try that another day. And the rules are, Kitten?"

" _Always check to see if it's loaded, don't point it at anything you don't want to hurt, finger outside the trigger guard until you're about to fire, and check behind your target_." She waited until he had reholstered it, then hugged him hard. "That was awesome. I've never done anything like that. Thank you."

Hugging her back felt wonderful, and he only reluctantly let her go. "I need to shovel that snow. Did you need anything out here?"

"You said there were some tools under the cabin."

"Over here." He led her back to the cabin, their arms around each other like a pair of victorious wingmen after a dogfight. On the side of the cabin, cut into the stone foundation, was a slatted wooden door with a combination lock on it. "Most of the larger tools are inside here – take what you need. The magic number is FN2187."

"Thanks. I'll have a look then I think I'll go back inside. I've got a huge set of exercises to do, and it's freezing here."

"Throw some more wood on the fire? What's there should last us until I get this next lot down. I'm going to stay out as briefly as I can get away with."

"I'll make sure there's some soup ready when you come in." She hugged him again, then bent to the trap door as he went to get the wood while things were still cold.

The woodheap was deathly quiet as he removed the wood as carefully and quickly as he could. There was still a good five feet between him and the snake pile, but he knew how fast they could move if they wanted to. As far as he could tell, none of them were awake, and he preferred it that way, but he did pick up one thing that caught his eye, and tucked it in his pocket. The new barrowload of wood was quickly stacked beside the house, and he made as fast work of shovelling the snow as he could before the melt solidified. This was unlike the snow he had shovelled on Sunday. That had been light and fluffy, easily scooped and tossed. This was icy, recalcitrant and obstreperous, and Kylo realised he would need to dump it further away from the side of the house else he would be building a snowbank that would block access until spring. By the time he finally finished, his shoulders were aching and he was thoroughly anticipating a long hot shower and soup for lunch.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snakeskin, Spaceships and Sore Muscles. And the lava pits creep ever closer

Rey had left the soup and toast ready for him. Upstairs, strange noises filtered down – hammering, sawing, the sound of a string being plucked and once, the ring of a bell. Kylo was fairly certain there hadn't been a bell in the house before they arrived, but he decided to leave it until dinner to ask her. Possibly that was the clinking noise he'd heard in her bag the other day. She scurried outside once to raid the under-cabin storage, and seemed reluctant to show him what she brought back in. The whole afternoon was taken in whatever the exercises were, with an occasional grumble and once the sound of something heavy being thrown, followed by a yell of _Sorry – I'll clean that up_ afterwards.

The meal was edible if not fantastic. While they were eating, he pulled out the thing he had found at the woodpile earlier. It was long and lithe, rustling and softer than you would expect from the scale marks over it. She ran it through her hands, marvelling at the diamond patterns the scales made down the back.

"Rattlesnake?"

"I assume so. See if you can tell what's odd about it." He should have been a teacher.

She ran the fragile shed skin through her fingers, tracing the large head and then down to the point of the tail. There, she stopped.

"There's no rattle." Checking the end, she smoothed out the point of the skin. "I know they gain a rattle each time they shed, so surely the end should be open to allow it to slide off. This one is closed."

"And that's something you need to be aware of." He took the skin back and held up the head end. "Rattle-less rattlesnakes are a thing, and this lot have evolved that way. Their venom is no less potent though."

"Why?"

"Because someone, years ago, must have gone all-out to kill every rattlesnake they heard, so the mutations that were silent survived through natural selection. And as such, they've passed it on to their offspring." He could still see his father in his mind's eye, standing over a freshly-decapitated rattler that writhed in the dirt. _Don't touch it, Ben. The heads are programmed to bite even after they're dead._ And then, quieter, _Snakes. Why does it have to be snakes?_ It was the one thing Han had hated about the cabin, despite having grown up in the area.

She shuddered. "I can cope with leaving the snakes in peace. Is it all right with you if I don't go to the woodpile?"

"Probably a wise idea. But would you like to keep this?"

"Definitely." She ran her fingers over the head, where the skinshadow mouth was permanently gaped open. "Not that I need the reminder of what to avoid. But I've never had a snake skin."

"Ever seen one in the wild before?"

"There was a grass snake near Maz's place. She showed it to me – sliding over the grass like it was animated liquid. It would pretend it was dead to make you ignore it. She said it ate the frogs, but she didn't mind because there were so many." She paused, then looked up at Kylo with eyes glistening. "Thank you. You give me so much."

He looked away, unable to handle the intense emotions she was emitting. "It's just a snake skin."

"You don't understand."

"Maybe, but I think I need to."

She sighed deeply, the sound of a soul battered and bruised that is finally starting to learn how to feel properly again. "Poppy gave me so much, but they weren't things he felt about. He wouldn't give me a photo of my mother, even though I asked if he had one. He might buy me a bracelet, or give me that calculator money I told you about, but it was never anything from _him_. It could have been allocated by his _Consigliere_ or delivered in a shoebox by Snoke. I still had to be grateful, still had to write him a thank-you note and make a fuss over it, but I never got the feeling he gave it with his heart. This is something you'd be happy to keep, I think, but you gave it to me." She squeezed his hand across the table.

Kylo didn't have the heart to ask her about the noises before Rey excused herself to go and listen to the lecture she had downloaded at the library on their last visit. He put the plates in the sink, then went out the back to refill the hearthside basket from the wood he'd brought down earlier that day. As he picked up the logs, one piece caught his eye, and he made sure to include it in the armful he brought in. He did the washing up, then went straight to the second drawer and took out the old carving knife. It had been his grandfather's; the hilt made out of the end of a Bantha horn, or so Kylo had been told. The blade was incredibly sharp, and kept inside a leather sheath that was soft and supple as snakeskin after all this time. Clearing a space on the hearth, he settled down with the log and the knife, the whittling calming his mind as a shape slowly emerged from the wood.

He heard the squeak from the staircase as Rey came down to clean her teeth before bed. She went to the bathroom through the kitchen, but came back through the lounge room to check if the washing from two days before was anywhere near dry yet.

"Nearly done – should be dry tomorrow." She took the sheets off, folded them and put them on the end of the sofa. "Wish you had a tumble dryer. I'd risk the elastic on my pyjamas for it."

"Doesn't your housekeeper do all your washing?"

"Miss Phasma? She taught me how. I mean, I knew the basics already – you don't go through the system without ending up in at least one home where they expect you to be the maid instead of part of the family." Rey turned some of the items so that they'd dry better. "She's been more of an older sister to me than a housekeeper. Not a mum. She doesn't nag enough."

She came back over to the fire. "I feel like I should recognise that." Rey ran her fingers around the shape, a disk apart from two protrusions at one end. "You're not carving a giant tick, are you?"

"It's a spaceship from a film I watched, years ago."

"So not like the rockets upstairs."

"No. This one hasn't been built for real yet." He brushed the waste fragments into the fire, where the seasoned wood caught almost immediately. The flare was bright, like a warm globe suddenly being switched on, but died down in a moment.

"I'm off to bed. G'night, Kylo."

She must have bent to kiss the top of his head goodnight, because he looked up to say _Goodnight Rey_ , and instead her lips landed on his. This time his hand reached up to gently cup her cheek as the touch of her mouth left him breathless. They held the position for a few seconds, a moment, an eternity, then she pulled away gently and headed out of the room.

It took until he heard her going up the stairs before he could breathe again.

Kylo sat for several minutes, the feel of her lips still tingling. Finally he swept the remainder of the wood shavings into the coals, put another large log on top and made sure the fire screen was locked in position. Anything that decided to roll out of the fireplace and managed to vault the bricks at the front would not reach to anything flammable. Carefully slipping the knife back into its scabbard, he put his emerging work well to the side and went to brush his teeth.

He expected to be sleepy after the woodhauling and shovelling he had done, but he lay in bed for a while, watching the stars pass across the skylight. He was still too keyed up, so after another ten minutes or so, he gave into temptations he knew the confessional would never hear. Making sure a box of tissues was nearby, he slipped his underpants down and wrapped his hand around his cock.

He liked to drag his pleasure out, to edge for a while before tightening up and driving to the end. Usually he had an image in his mind – his favourite actress, or the girl he'd had a crush on in high school. This time, though, just as he was heading for his climax, it became a soft pair of lips on his and a gentle voice with a London accent murmuring _Kylo_. His eyes flew open in shock and he tried like crazy to pull back to the vision of his schoolyard dreams, but it was too late. His body, usually so compliant, was traitorous to the extreme and he could barely muffle the groan as the bliss took over. For a moment he lay there, trembling at the exertion and intensity, then he sat bolt upright and scrabbled for the tissues and the sheet as there was a gentle knock at the door.

"Kylo?"

" _What?_ "

"Are you all right? I mean, I heard …"

"Sorry." He madly thought over the options, then grabbed one that seemed plausible. "I overdid it today. My back …"

As a deterrent, it failed miserably. His door opened, and Rey came in, wearing a fluffy pink onesie that would have looked juvenile on a ten year old. "Can I get you anything? I've got some heat rub."

His voice hitched, and he couldn't answer her immediately, so by the time he was trying to say "No, it's all right, I just need a good night's rest!", she had dived back to her room and returned with a red-and-yellow tube of ointment.

"Roll on your stomach, and tell me where it hurts."

Kylo thought quickly. If he told her anywhere south of the waistline, he might as well make a booking to the lava pits himself. "My shoulders."

"Take your shirt off then." She sat on the side of the bed as he hauled the old tshirt off, then lay face down on the pillow. Suddenly she was straddling his hips, and her hands were cold on his back. But only for a moment. As soon as she moved them, the heat of the ointment came through and he realised that yes, his shoulders and upper back _were_ a bit sore still.

"I thought the quiet afternoon would get all the stiffness out."

"Obviously not." Her hands started at the tops of his shoulders and then around the clavicles, gently yet firmly delivering the treatment around all the muscles. The smell of the ointment burned his nostrils slightly. Part of him was relaxing into it, but one double-crossing section was regaining a stiffness he did not need. He groaned again, then tried to stifle it, but it was too late.

"That spot?" Rey was concentrating right between his shoulderblades, and on the groan, she let up the pressure.

"No … Actually, yes. Please." It was a safe location. Far too high up his back to engender any treacherous feelings in other parts. He winced as she found a point that held a lot of tension, her deft fingers easing away the aches.

"Good. You've done so much while I was hiding out in my room. I'm glad to help."

For a while she worked in silence, but he realised her voice was as relaxing as anything she was doing to his back. "Could you talk?"

"Talk?"

"I like to hear you talking."

"What about?"

"Anything. Your lessons. What you were doing in there today. Your life. Your trip from London to Naboo."

"My lessons? They're so boring." She started on another knot, this one under one of his shoulder blades. "You _do not_ want an in-depth recitation of the six steps to perfect skin." Her fingers turned the knot to a soft nodule, then reduced it to plain muscle. "No, I'll tell you what I was like as a child. And tomorrow you can tell me."

"Yes." He knew he was too relaxed, that her ministrations were opening him to suggestion. Wherever she learned this, they obviously employed a strange type of magic.

"So I remember my parents. We were travelling through Britain – two weeks at one hotel, then four at a holiday camp near Nottingham, then another six weeks in a beach cottage in Cornwall. I thought it was magic. There was a Robin Hood playground at the camp, and I was able to climb to the very top of the climbing frame. It's one of the few memories I have of my mother – she was coaxing me down and my father had climbed up beside me, although adults weren't allowed on there, but I'd climbed so high I didn't know how. And when I got down, she held me so tight."

She paused, then put another dollop of ointment at the top of his spine, spreading it to one side and the other.

"Or when I went paddling with my father in the water at Cornwall. The beach was grey sand and gravel, and it hurt my feet, so my father carried me down to the waves." She shifted to working on his upper arm, her hands tracing the muscles as she rubbed the cream in. "My mother was Poppy's daughter. She had black hair that brushed her shoulders and skin that never burned. She would lie on her blanket on the beach while Dada huddled under the umbrella. They made me wear a hat, but I have my mother's skin. I don't burn." She worked on the other arm, then across the back of his neck. "And Dada had light hair, not really blond but getting there."

She stopped, and moved herself to sit at the side of the bed while she put the lid back on the tube.

"Better?"

"Much, thank you." Kylo stretched his arms out, then rolled, careful to keep the quilt up over his midsection. She wouldn't look at him, her whole body hunched over as if in pain. "Hey, are you all right?"

"I hadn't remembered that scene for so long." She put the tube on his bedside table, then went to put her hands over her face. Catching them, Kylo gently pulled them down to her lap.

"You don't want to do that."

"Why not?"

"That ointment stings in the eyes."

"Oh. Yes, you're right. How do you know?"

"Athletics training accident."

"Ow."

"I'm sorry those memories hurt so much." He was sitting up now, and she let go of his hands and suddenly wrapped her arms around him and started crying quietly.

For a while, she just shook, and he carefully put his bare arms around her and pulled her close. Her tears ran down his chest, a cold track on the warmth of his skin. Her voice, when she spoke again, was shaky.

"I try so hard not to miss them. I loved them. I thought they loved me. But they left me. They took me to a playground, and Dada went to get me icecream, and then he was gone so long, and Mama wanted me to come, but I was playing with some other kids, so she asked their mum to keep an eye on me, and she wouldn't be long, but …"

The tears started up again, her whole body wracked by sobs that went on for ages. Kylo managed to discreetly push the used tissues under the sheet and out the other side of the bed, then pull over the tissue box. Her sobs slowly tapered off, the shudders receding as she took a tissue and wiped her eyes, then another to blow her nose. He took the opportunity to pull on his old tshirt again, but her sorrow bit hard into him, and he wrapped his arms around her once more. It was meant to be a _goodnight_ hug, but she instead leaned into it, and toppled slowly onto the pillow. The only light in the room was coming in at last through the skylight from the waning gibbous moon. Too relaxed and tired to complain, Kylo gave into the inevitable and fell asleep beside her.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Broken hearts and reducing friction. Because sometimes _sensible_ isn't what you want.

The bed under the quilt had always been warm, but Kylo woke in the middle of the night feeling as if one of the heated bricks was radiating beside him. His left arm was trapped under Rey's shoulder, and his right was curled over her and resting …

… oh.

He tried to lift his hand off her breast, but she mumbled and grabbed it, dragging it back into position and putting her own hand over it to keep it there. Gently kissing the back of her head, he pulled her tight to him.

 _This is so safe and normal. I wish I could stay here with you._ _I wish I didn't have to deal with whoever is trying to find you, and your grandfather, and staying alive while the world goes crazy around us. If I wasn't who I am, and you weren't, and we'd met somewhere like a library or a coffee shop …_ He sighed, and kissed her head again. _I'd like to say we can start again when this is all over, but I don't think we can. It's just … There's too much here that I don't think we can get past, but I'll always care for you._

She murmured something and turned in his arms. He hadn't said anything, just thought it. Hadn't he? Hoping he hadn't woken her, he froze.

Her arms slid up around his neck and she pulled his head down and kissed him.

"I care for you too, Kylo. Don't go." Her voice was low and as far as he could see, her eyes were still closed. Then, saying nothing more, she rolled back over and moved his hand to its previous position.

He fretted for a while, wondering how much he had actually said, but fell back asleep eventually. His dreams were filled with scenes of searching; of feeling as if he was being twisted and turned to see only what someone wanted him to see; of seeing her curled up asleep on the sofa downstairs and a gunman standing over her; and finally of looking down a deep hole and her sitting at the bottom, huddled up against the wall. He woke to a darkened room, an empty bed, and sounds and scents coming up from downstairs. Bacon. Maple syrup. Breakfast.

Kylo shoved the used tissues deep in the trash and grabbed his clothes for the day. He was running low – he'd need to do some washing – and he was going through the socks rapidly. And he desperately needed to be _doing_ something. Anything that would stop him thinking about a slim, warm body pressed to him all night. If she hadn't been downstairs, he would have run out into the snowbank and tried lying in it for an hour. Except he knew she'd laugh at him, and then come and join him and …

Cold shower time. Definitely.

He was carrying his dirty clothes down the stairs when she yelled out from the kitchen.

"Breakfast in 5?"

"I'll be seven."

"Fine. I'll eat yours as well." She probably would. Kylo appreciated that here was a young woman who ate as she needed, and not to any fad diet. It looked like her beauty school had a decent philosophy about body shape, thank goodness. He dived in the shower for as brief a wash as he could manage, then dressed and hauled the washing into the laundry.

Rey was sitting at the table and hoeing into her pancakes as if she hadn't eaten for a week. Her notebook beside her, she was making adjustments on the plan she had drawn previously, but she gave him a bright smile as he sat down.

Before he could eat, though, he needed to clear something up.

"About last night …"

"Thank you." She reached over and squeezed his hand. "I don't think I've ever felt as safe, as protected, as I was. You're a very comfortable person."

"That's not what I meant."

"And I apologise for the furry wonder. I packed so quickly to come up here, and it was the only thing I could think of wearing to sleep in that would be as warm as my pyjamas." She grinned. "Although what sort of fox is pink, I have no idea."

"We shouldn't …" He couldn't find the words. "It's not … look, sleeping in the same bed is not safe."

"I disagree. Were anyone to come in, we'd be in the best possible position for you to keep me safe." She took his hand and kissed it, something no-one had ever done for him before. "And look at it this way. If someone comes in and you stop them, then Poppy doesn't need to know. And if you don't, well, I don't think we'd be around for the consequences anyway."

"That's no excuse."

"It's _my_ excuse and I'm sticking to it."

A week together and they were bound together by the threat of her death as closely as if they had been matched by her grandfather's _ambasciata_. He tried one last time.

"You do understand about _consent,_ don't you?"

"Yes. But if it's something we both want …"

"It is, and it isn't. I can't. Not while I'm working for you, or for your grandfather."

"But you'd like to." The happy look was gone. Her face was twisted, anguished.

"That's not the point."

"So you _do_ want to. And that's the problem, isn't it?"

He sighed. "I'm asking you to respect my wishes in this matter. Last night was an anomaly, and it can't happen again."

"I don't regret it." She looked about to cry. "Please don't tell me you do."

"No, I don't. But it can't happen again." He held her hands tight. "I shall never forget the feeling of holding you all night, but that has to be it."

Her eyes flew wide. "Are you going to leave?"

"No. I'm here to protect you."

"And what about afterwards? When there's no threat to me. Are you going to leave then?" The fear looked as if it was turning to panic, and he couldn't answer her. When it was all over, he _would_ be leaving. He had the information he needed, the proof to put most of the Palpatine Family behind bars, and he would be reverting to his own name and returning to Chandrilla if he could.

He must have let something in his expression slip, because Rey threw his hands down onto the table and stamped out.

He heard her slam the front door, and cursed. With one regretful look at his almost-cold pancakes, he headed out the front where his charge stood staring out onto the snowy waste. She must have heard him, but she didn't move. He could hear her breathing, though – shuddering, as if she was trying to regain her composure and failing.

They stood there – him just behind her – for a few minutes. Kylo was cold, but Rey must have been freezing – she was only wearing thin inside clothing. She was standing in her socks and the porch was covered by a thin layer of snow that Kylo could see melting around her feet.

He wanted to hold her, to take away the pain, but there was no easy way to do it.

"You're right." She took a deep breath, and her voice steadied. "Consent. If you ask me, I should honour that. Especially because I care about you. I can't make you – that would be wrong."

He tried again. "Rey …"

"Everyone leaves." She shook now, her shoulders heaving and her arms wrapped around herself. "Every time I love someone, they leave. If I care for someone, they walk away. And so will you." She turned. "It's true, isn't it? You're going to leave me."

"I don't want to."

"But you will. So there's no point talking about it." She brushed fiercely past him and stalked into the house, to the lounge room where she pulled the dry washing off the clothes horse and flung her now-sodden socks over the fire guard. He came in behind her, his hand out to try and communicate, but she pushed past him again and took her clean clothes upstairs.

He left her for an hour, unsure what to do, but something in him felt she needed him more than she was rejecting him. Finally he ate the stone-cold pancakes, hung out his clothes then boiled the kettle. Taking a cup of coffee up, he knocked on her door.

"May I come in?"

There was a pause, then "Okay."

Opening the door, he saw her lying on her bed, her arms wrapped around the fluffy onesie she'd been wearing to sleep.

He put the cup on the bedside table, and sat on the bed.

"Are your feet all right?"

"They are now. They hurt for a bit." Her eyes were closed.

"We need to talk about this."

"Why?"

"Because even if I _am_ going to go, we still have to put up with each other for the next little while, and I don't want it to be harder than it already is."

"What's so hard? You'll just go." Her voice was as icy as the air outside. "Pick up your bag and your gun, and walk out."

"It's not as easy as that."

"Why not?"

He risked putting his hand out and gently stroking her cheek. The sight of her so heartbroken cut him deep. He'd been sorry when he walked out of home, sad when he left the seminary and his friends, but here he knew he was hurting someone to an extent he'd not felt before.

"It's not easy, Rey, because I am very … fond ... of you." She didn't pull away, although he saw the tears start again. "You're a mass of contradictions. One minute you're the Bouncy Bubble Girl, then you're working out complex strategies. You're confusing, and bright, and thoughtful, and considerate, and utterly beautiful. But life isn't fair. I hate hurting you, but if we went on like … it would get complicated and awkward, and it wouldn’t be safe. For either of us."

Her voice went very quiet, and he had to strain to hear it.

"I wish I didn't care for anyone."

He wanted to kiss her, take away the pain, but he knew he mustn't. "It would be easier, but the world would be so grey, so lacking in light and love. Knowing you care for me makes me feel special. Can we leave it at that – that we care for each other but we know it can't be?"

She reached up and wiped her eyes, then took his hand. "It _would_ be hard spending the next however long here and having to avoid you. If that's all I can have, then I'll take it."

"All right." It would have to do. "Can I get you anything?"

She smiled, the wan smile that broke his heart so. "You already brought me coffee. No, I'm just going to take a little while to sort out my head. I should be right by lunchtime."

"You do that. I'll see you in a while." He squeezed her hand, then got up. As he approached the door, she called out.

"Kylo?"

"Yes?" He turned back to her.

"Thank you for coming up. I … I couldn't cope with everything. You were right to talk it through."

"I'll see you later." He left her there and went back downstairs.

By lunchtime she seemed to regain some composure, and joined Kylo for soup and toast. He breathed a quiet thanks to whatever logic had gone through her head. Once more the afternoon brought a touch of sunlight that, while it did little to heat up the outside world, at least gave the illusion of warmth. As soon as the soup was finished, he suggested getting the dead tree they needed. Her coat on and gloves at the ready, she waited while he struggled once more with damp boots.

"How are we getting the tree back here?"

"Rope. We'll both need to pull." Kylo pointed at the rope, axe and curved saw he had placed by the door earlier.

"Only one saw?"

"Just to trim off some of the branches to make it easier to drag."

"We should see if there's any boots for you in town, to give those ones a chance to dry out." Rey was out the door as soon as Kylo was standing up from tying the laces. "Or find something to make them waterproof. Your feet must be freezing!"

Kylo nodded and tried to ignore the gradual feeling of cold that started in his toes and crept up the entire foot. "I think we should go in tomorrow. I know we were there on Tuesday, but I want to check on your grandfather."

"And I'm in desperate need of some fresh fruit and vegetables." Rey followed Kylo as he walked directly out from the cabin instead of to the north of it. "A shame the library won't be open. How much more is there to the town apart from the main street?"

"There's the gas station to the south, on the road we came in on, and a motel to the north. Sheriff's office behind the Library, but there hasn't been a Sheriff for years now. They rely on the next town – Mos Eisley – but it's always pretty busy there so they don't come to Corellia that often. Church is on a side road, and it has a residence attached. I think that's it."

"So we're not going into town much at all, except when we do?"

"I did say that I was inconsistent."

"Changeable. Like the wind." She pulled ahead of him, taking long strides through the snow.

Despite it being only an hour past noon, their shadows stretched a way in front of them, outlined by the glittering ice crystals on the snow. Less than a quarter mile from the cabin, a dead tree stood out from its companions, its branches grey and white. Kylo stopped beside it and banged on the trunk twice with the back of the axe.

"What's that for?"

"To wake up anything living in it." He looked up and down on both sides. "It's been dead about twenty years. Probably from the fire again – you can find a lot of old, dead trees around. Look at the slope behind the house."

"You're right – like spindly silver fingers reaching up out of the canopy."

"Most of them were giants, the oldest of the trees, and the woods around them haven't yet grown up to their height. Gives you an idea how long it takes a tree to grow here."

"And we're allowed to burn it?"

"The Park Service prefers it. If I hauled in wood from Naboo, it might have insects that would escape when it caught fire that aren't native to this area. No, we're allowed to take wood for personal use so long as we don't sell it or take it out of here." He looked back up at the tree. " I think that's enough notice. There's no obvious hole at the base or halfway up, so I doubt if there's anything large with a home inside. We'll double-check when it comes down. How do you feel about holding on to the end of a rope?"

Kylo looped the rope up, and tossed the end over a large protruding branch about fifteen feet up. Or at least he attempted to. The first two times it didn't quite reach to the branch, getting stopped by smaller branches below. The third time, the end flew over the branch, but didn't fall down the other side, instead slithering back to sit in coils at Kylo's feet.

Rey came and took the rope from his hand. Tying a broken piece of wood to the end, she motioned him back then used the extra weight to give the rope a healthy swing that took it up and over the branch and sliding down the other side in a rain of twigs. The grin of triumph on her face when she did it was worth the humiliation he felt at her solution. And pride that she knew a better way.

"Would you like me to tie it around so it's holding on up there?"

"Where did you learn to do that?"

"Poppy sent me to Girl Scouts."

"Go ahead then." Kylo stood back. Rey tied a firm knot, then paced back far enough that the top of the tree would not land on her when he cut it. Hefting the axe, he took a wedge out on the side where Rey was, then another lower down on the opposite side while she kept the tension on the rope. It took very little time before the tree was lying in the snow, waiting for their ministrations.

Kylo was about to loop the rope around the top of the tree and haul it, when Rey came up with the saw.

"You have an idea?"

"Try this." She cut through two that were particularly curved, and tied them to form a pair of parallel runners below the tree. "They'll help it slide better. Lowers the coefficient of friction. Takes five minutes to do and saves us at least that much time with dragging."

"Humph." Kylo tied the axe and saw onto the middle of the tree, then, each taking one end of the rope, they started sliding it back to the cabin. He had to admit she was right – the pulling was a lot less arduous than the last time he did this, and they were back at the cabin faster than he thought possible. They took the tree around the back and left it beside the porch to be dealt with in the morning.

"Wait. I want to show you something." Kylo retrieved the implements and leaned them against the back porch, then took Rey's hand and led her out to the south side of the cabin.

"Do you see the snow has a patch then valley going down that way?" He pointed to where the low sun picked out the channel quite clearly.

"Your drains?"

"And the septic underneath. There's always a bit of heat coming up from them, even when there's no-one here running hot showers and washing up."

She nodded comprehension, then turned and gasped. When he looked, he could understand her wonder

The sun, just above the treeline at the back of the cabin, was bracketed left and right with a pair of bright mock suns. The halo around the sun linked through the side lights, and there was just a touch of colour visible in their wraith-like spots. Rey stood silently and watched as the sun sank below the hill, taking the apparitions with it.

"Have you ever seen sun-dogs before?"

"No." Kylo started ushering her inside, as the loss of the sunlight meant the temperature was dropping rapidly. "I've heard of them, but never actually seen any."

"I shall remember those forever." The shining look in her eyes was mesmerising, and he stopped at the top of the front porch stairs, his eyes locked to hers. Their faces moved closer together, until he remembered just in time, and instead put a finger to her lips.

"Remember you were with me when you saw it, Kitten, and I will too. Now I believe it was my turn to make dinner?"

Her shoulders sank a little and she turned to go in. "How long do you think?"

"Half an hour if the packet is to be believed."

"We are _definitely_ getting fresh food tomorrow."


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey is hurting, Kylo is meeting old friends, and there are boots.

Rey went to bed straight after dinner, pleading a headache and stress. From the look of her, it was true – once more her eyes more closely resembled those of a panda, and while the smiles had flitted across from time to time, she exuded sorrow like a Shawn Colvin song. Kylo hated to admit it, but he had been anticipating at least the goodnight hug and kiss, and he felt their absence. After half an hour whittling further on the _Millenium Falcon_ model, he swept the shavings into the fire and banked it up, then turned his damp clothing on the rack and hoped it would dry soon.

On his way up the stairs, he thought he heard a noise from the other bedroom – a gasp, a sob – but when he stopped to listen, there was only silence. He knew what it was. She was crying again, and he ached to go to her and hold her and kiss her and make it better. But if he went in, he would never come out. Instead he headed for his own room and tried to ignore the sorrow-filled noises that he knew she was trying to muffle. The exertion of chopping and bringing back the tree, and the emotional strain of the day, sent him into an exhausted sleep quicker than he thought possible.

He woke once to a distant coyote howl at four in the morning. Ice crystals were spreading across the skylight, framing the late-risen moon with a lacework of silver and pearl. For a few minutes he watched as it slid across the space, racing to catch whatever star was just ahead of it. Twenty years before he could have named the star immediately, but it had been too long. He soon drifted back to sleep, and woke again to the scent of something delicious – bacon, yes, but something more. According to his watch it was nine o'clock, well-past time to be getting his act together.

He passed Rey on the stairs on his way down to the shower, towel wrapped around his waist to spare her the view of his old and ratty underpants.

"I've made French Toast – it's in the oven. Coffee might be a bit cold." She barely looked at him, although her voice was soft. "What time did you want to head in?"

"In an hour?"

"I've made a shopping list."

He felt the detachment, and recognised it for what it was. When his parents finally decided to divorce, his father had had to wait a few days before his new apartment was ready. Until then, they had been coolly formal around each other. Civil. Letting the other know if something was running out or someone needed to take Ben to an appointment, but not really connecting. At the time it had seemed cold and emotionless, but he realised now they were trying to put their emotions away to stop it hurting so much when Han finally left.

And it hadn't worked. The divorce was cancelled after they both showed up at a protest rally against logging in some backwoods forest. Between the rain and the dirt and getting chained next to each other for five hours when everyone else had gone home and neither of them had the key, they'd managed to patch up their differences. They ended up coming home covered in mud, giggling like teenagers and spending another two hours in the bathroom washing it all off – or that's what they'd said when they finally emerged. Kylo was pretty sure his father had lost the key on purpose. The grin on Han's face said far too much. Teenage Ben had been disgusted by the display and it was from then that he started schooling his features not to show any emotions.

It had worked fine up to now.

He knew now that Rey was using civility to cover herself. She must have learned that from him. But it was helping hide the feelings he was desperately trying to quell. What he'd said to her on Tuesday worked both ways – if he was trying to protect her, but he got distracted by _feelings_ for her, it might be a problem. So. Civility.

The shopping bags were gathered by ten, and they started the cold drive into town. Rey watched as Kylo carefully chose gears that would get them over the icy snow, with barely a slip even on the black sections under the trees.

"Did you always drive a manual?"

"A manual? Oh – stick? I prefer it." He turned onto the main road into town, grateful to be off the ice-covered mud. "I like the control. I think I need it. Do you drive yet?"

"Around Naboo? Not a hope." A shade of the original personality bubbled through, the bouncy almost-teenager with the puffy jacket and pigtails, and he grinned as she wrinkled up her nose. "Unkar or Miss Phasma drive me everywhere I need, and those roads! We spent an hour once trying to get from one side of the Theed University district to the other, just because the traffic was so bad. I can take the subway when I need to. Or a bus."

"If there's a warm spell and the snow goes, I'll teach you. If you want."

"Thank you." She rubbed her nose. "Yeah. That would be nice."

The road was almost deserted, with only one car passing them on the way. Rey had her mask out almost as soon as they pulled into a parking space, this time around the corner from the store, and Kylo wasn't far behind. As they approached the store, she held her shopping list out to him.

"Anything we need to add? I think we should have some hand sanitiser in the car, for after we've been in these places. And I want to get some snacks."

Kylo looked in his wallet. "Do you want to get the stuff, while I go and grab some lunch for us?"

She didn't answer, and he looked up to see her looking quizzically at a man walking down the street. He was middle-aged, unmasked and wearing clothes more suited to a city than the mountains, although if he kept to the populated areas he would be fine in the long black woollen coat and the black shiny pointed shoes.

"Rey?"

"Huh?"

"Someone you know?"

"I'm not sure." The man passed by them without looking at them, his heavy black overcoat wrapped hard around him against the cold. Kylo watched as he reached the bar and went in. Rey shook her head. "No-one I really recognise, but I feel as if I should."

"One of Palpatine's men?"

"I don't think I ever saw him at Poppy's place. I can't place him at all. Maybe some actor or writer or something."

Kylo nudged the holster, just to check it was there. Most of the time he could do it without thinking, but it didn't hurt to make sure. And to be extra cautious around town. He was fairly certain he'd done nothing that could be traced to this remote location, but it would be so easy to make a mistake. And fatal.

He pulled out some notes and handed them over. "Go get the shopping, and meet me in front of the library in half an hour."

"'Kay." She took the cash and stashed it in her own purse. "Saves me using mine. Snacks?"

"If you like. But I prefer your baking."

She crinkled her eyes behind the mask with the first proper smile of the day. "I have other plans too." Without saying anything more, she turned and walked into the shop with what could only be described as a sassy wiggle in her hips. With a sigh for what could not be, he headed for the church.

The church itself was dim, the candles at the front a contrast in light and warmth. There were many more than there had been the other day, and Kylo thought he might know why. The lack of masks on most of the townsfolk probably indicated a lack of attention to other necessary virus-avoiding actions, and he swore he'd disinfect everything when he got back to the cabin. It was too easy to become complacent. As he walked up the centre aisle, the door to the priests' office opened and a tall Hispanic priest came out, bare-faced and grinning at him.

"I assume that mask was what was in your mother's letter."

"You're just jealous because your mother can't make you one covered in gold embroidery."

"She sewed me a mask. I just can't wear it – it's tiny. She forgets how big her baby boy is these days." Father Poe gestured towards the office. "Come into the warmth.

Once inside, Kylo grimaced. "No hugs, and I'll keep the mask on. I should have last time, but the Archbishop …"

"Makes his own rules, I know. I'll be sanitising that chair once you've left, too." Poe sat down and opened a drawer, pulling out a thick manila envelope. "This is from your usual sources. And I have to tell you, things are crazy down in Naboo."

"Give me the short version. I'm meeting my client in just under thirty minutes."

"Well, you know the Don's in a bad way. It looks like the Capos are choosing their sides. There's been a flood of disappearances that your people suspect have ended up in the foundations of that new hospital they're building out in the suburbs. Word has it that Snoke's going to go head-to-head with that _Consigliere_ of the old man's … what's his name?"

"Hux."

"Yeah. So it's not a safe place to be right now."

"And the contract on Rey Jackson?"

"Can't get anything on it. The other Families all seem pretty quiet. Mind you, this wouldn't be the first time they've done something without your people finding out. I have no idea if there are _algunos topos en el bosque_ in them as well. You've done well to not be unearthed."

"How are you finding it here?"

"Lonely." Poe laughed. "I'm hoping this wasn't some sort of punishment. At least Finn and I are adults, and know our own minds. But it's so hard fitting in with the rules of the Church and what's in our hearts. If we were allowed, I'd marry him in an instant, and we'd set up a home for the lost rainbow community. Between the young guys trying to work out why they're attracted to their best mate, and the ones who've found their gender but don't dare tell anyone else … The Archbishop can only go so far changing the city."

"And there's a lot of the older generation holding it back. Thanks. And you've reminded me – I need to ring the old man."

"But I told you …"

"Yeah, but officially I don't know that yet. Can I use your sacristy?"

"Go for it. It's freezing in there though – we don't bother with the heaters unless we have to change." Poe laughed. "I think Father Jerd suspects something. He's been extra careful not to get changed near me. And I really can't tell him he's not my type."

"I know your type – dark and cheerful. Say _hi_ to Finn when you talk to him." Kylo nodded, resisting the urge to hug his old classmate. He headed straight to the sacristy and pulled out his phone.

At the third ring, it was answered by a woman.

"I'm sorry," Kylo said automatically. "I must have …."

"Wait – is that Kylo? It's Gwen Phasma. Don't hang up."

He wanted to, badly. But either the Don's place had been taken over, or she just didn't know. "What is it?"

"Hux … Palpatine's in hospital. ICU. Not on a ventilator – he refused. But they don't think he'll last."

"And Hux?"

"Coughing his lungs out in some hotel. I'm in quarantine, but I don't think I have it. Yet. There's two more tests to go." She was almost crying, which surprised him. She'd been Rey's second housekeeper for the last eight years, but you don't get that position without being tough. "How's Rey?"

"She's fine. As am I. I need to go."

"Can you tell her something from me?"

"Make it fast."

"Tell her to tell you. To explain things. And if she doesn't believe that I said it, tell her _mixing backwards doesn't work._ "

"What the hell?"

"Just say that. I'll be here at the house for two weeks from yesterday. Ring me if you need to."

She beat him to hanging up the phone, and he looked at it in confusion. Things must be worse than he thought.

He had fifteen minutes until he was meeting Rey. Hustling to the bar, he wondered what was really going on. Tonight he might get some answers. Until then, there was lunch. 

He was just looking over the list outside the diner when a voice from his past spoke up behind him.

"She'll be finished shopping in about fifteen minutes – wanted me to tell you."

He turned to see the purple hair of the librarian, who was viewing him with the calm detachment she had had when she handed him the book of spaceship models. He assumed she was smiling – her face wasn't very visible under her floral calico mask.

Kylo felt his heart almost stop. Did she recognise him?

"It's good to see you again. _Kylo Ren_ though?" Right. She did.

"You're the one who suggested I read the book."

" _Scourge of the Galaxy._ A bit out of date these days, but it got you reading."

"How did you know?"

"Your ears are still as prominent as they were when you were ten. You're supposed to grow into them, not have them grow with you." Her eyes were crinkled with amusement. "And the library is also where the town records are kept. When your parents sold you the cabin, I filed the paperwork. As soon as young Rey mentioned where she was staying, I knew it was you." Miss Holdo was tall, but she still had to look up to see his masked face. "She's an exceptional young woman. Told me you were her brother, but I knew that wasn't true. So what _is_ the story?"

"I can't tell you."

"You're obviously looking after her. She told me about the hot stones, and I can see you're set to protect yourself." She glanced at where his holster showed under his open jacket. "And you're your mother's son. The son of Han Solo, rapscallion of Corellia, might be up to anything; but the son of Leia Organa would have a good reason to bring a young woman to an isolated cabin." She handed over a business card with an address written on the back. "If you ever need help, call. Or drop her off at my place and she can stay there, no questions asked. I've told her the same. But there's a cost."

"Should I ask?"

"When all this is over, because I have a good feeling that it's a short-term situation, come and tell me about it."

Kylo felt his shoulders drop a great deal of tension. "Yes, that I can promise."

"And one last piece of advice."

"Yes?"

"Don't get the clam rolls. They're terrible."

He laughed. "Chalmun's was never great at anything involving seafood. Thanks. But did you tell her you knew me?"

"No." Miss Holdo grimaced under her mask. "I know where you work, so if you're pretending to be someone else, it's not my place to give away your secrets."

"Wait! How did you…?"

"I never reveal my sources."

She stepped back and gave a salute with one arm across her chest, before heading off.

Rey was hopping from one foot to the other in front of the store with two filled shopping bags. As soon as he opened the car, she threw them in, followed them with the lunch he'd bought, then dragged him into the store. Near the back, beside the summer dresses and pairs of socks, a small selection of boots lay gathering dust. Most would be too small, but there was one huge pair that looked as if they'd been there forever.

"What size do you take?" Rey sat him down in the cracked leather chair then knelt and pulled out a Brannock Device from under the bench.

"Twelve, I think." He didn't tend to ask when he bought shoes, and it had been a while. She unlaced his right boot and tugged it until it came off. Sliding his heel into the curve of the measure, she slid the bars and checked the reading.

"A bit over. These should fit you." Hauling over the large dusty pair, she loosened the laces and opened the top. "Slip off your other one and try them both on."

Five minutes later Rey was watching the store assistant wrap up Kylo's old boots and slip them into a bag with a tin of dubbin, as he wondered at the fit of the new ones. The assistant shook her head.

"We've had those here nigh on fifteen years; never thought we'd sell them."

"Why so long?"

"Ordered them special for some family used to holiday around here, but they stopped coming. They didn't take up much space, so we just left them there."

Kylo tried not to look up while he heard that, certain that the tips of his ears were red under his shaggy hair. He started peeling off some notes from his clip, but Rey stopped him.

"No, these are a present to you."

"That's sweet of you," Kaydel said. "Not many sisters would buy their brothers a gift like that. On credit?"  
Rey handed the card over, then jumped as Kylo grabbed it back and handed it to her.

"No, I will pay for my own boots. And it'll be cash."

Rey was scowling at him over the mask, but Kylo chose to ignore it, handing over the bills and stuffing the receipt in the bag. He stalked out to the car and sat in the seat, trying to get the anger down before Rey came in.

"That was incredibly rude of you," she said even before she had put on her seat belt. "That poor lady – her grandfather 's been taken to hospital and she's having a hard time with the store and you had to be like that!"

"You idiot. You used your card there on Tuesday, didn't you?"

"Why should that matter? Of course I did."

"Because if someone checks the bank records, they'll know where we are."

"Oh. Shit." Rey removed her mask and reached for the sanitiser. "I'm sorry – I didn't even think of that. Who would be able to, though?"

"You get your money from your grandfather?"

"Yes. But it's my account. I'm the only one with access to it."

Kylo accelerated away from the town, trying hard to tamp down the fear in his chest. "Your grandfather would have until you were of age. And I'm betting his accountant had that info too. Did you change the passwords when you turned 18?"

He glanced over at Rey. She looked close to tears, and he sighed. "I apologise. I shouldn't be so rough. But it could be the difference between life and death. I don't want anyone to find you, and this is one way they could."

"I didn't change them at 18, but I did a couple of years later." Rey put her mask back in its tin. "Some idiot stole my handbag, and I had to get all new cards, so I changed them then."

"Oh. Right. So hopefully no-one else can get into your account."

"No. So stop being such a bully." She slumped back down in the seat, looking like the sulky miss he'd brought out along this very road a week before.

He concentrated on the road, and grumbled as the snow started falling again. The silence hurt. Finally, as they turned onto the dirt road to the cabin, he took a deep breath and tried again.

"I'm sorry. Things aren't good back home, and I'm getting paranoid."

"You could ask nicely, or not be such a dick about it."

"I could, yes." Kylo pulled up near the house. "But would that really be me?"

"It could be."

"I suppose. Who's on dinner?"

"I'm making a pie. With vegetables."

"After dinner, I'll catch you up on all the news." And that would give him time to read the contents of the envelope in peace.

_algunos topos en el bosque_ Spanish for "Mole in the Woods"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _algunos topos en el bosque_ \- Spanish for "Mole in the Woods"


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
> 
> Oh, except for the kissing.

They hauled the various bags in and to the kitchen, with the exception of the one with his old boots in it. Kylo took that upstairs and stashed it in the wardrobe. They'd be useful sometime. Perhaps. Sitting on his bed, he opened the envelope and tipped it out. He wanted a chance to read through it all before he told Rey anything.

The envelope was filled with newspaper clippings talking about Palpatine's illness, the disappearance of Pryde, and that Canady had been bailed and then failed to reappear for a hearing. This wasn't good. Kylo cursed the events that had him here, away from it all while the Family meltdown was happening. But he'd done his bit. This was probably the safest place to be. Certainly for Rey it was – if her grandfather died, she'd be next on the list. It was frustrating not being able to get the news any other way. The local radio station had been taken over by a conglomerate from Coruscant, and the news was all puff pieces about their own services. And he could only listen for about ten minutes in and out of town; the signal was terrible. Kylo piled the news clippings to one side as he finished each one.

The last thing he pulled out though was different. Clipped from English newspapers, the series of articles described how the workers breaking ground for a new Coronavirus hospital in Exeter had discovered two bodies buried in what had been a disused concrete wasteland. The corpses, a man and a woman, had been there for about fifteen years. They appeared to have been killed in a gangland-style murder, their arms tied behind them by wire and the shots expertly placed. There were other details that made Kylo wince. The next article had Scotland Yard identifying them as Raymond and Apailana Jackson, formerly of Naboo. They were known to have been flitting from place to place, last seen in Dawlish Warren in September 2003. They'd left their temporary accommodation with their child then disappeared. It was assumed at the time that they were avoiding the authorities and heading north. Police were making enquiries about the whereabouts of their daughter Aurelia. The article included a photo of her father that was obviously a mugshot, and one of her mother in a sundress, tanned just like Rey said.

Rey and her mother had the same eyes.

He'd known a few things about them before he joined the Don's family, but this just confirmed the worst of his suspicions. Damn.

"Dinner!"

Rey's voice echoed up the stairwell and over the wall. Kylo folded the papers carefully and put them back in the envelope. He considered putting it in his bag, but instead slipped it under the bottom drawer in the wardrobe.

Once they finished the pie, she took two glasses out of the cupboard and a bottle he didn't recognise. Taking his hand once more, she led him back to the lounge room, and sat him down on the sofa. This time, instead of facing the fire, she was turned towards him with her feet tucked under her.

The bottle, he discovered, was a maple and brandy blend best served in shot glasses. The glasses they held were tumblers, each holding twice as much as a shot glass would. Rey filled both glasses, and held one out to him. But when he went to take it, she held onto it, with a look of fierce determination.

"I had to go through a lot to buy this."

"Such as?"

"I got carded." She grimaced while he laughed but her look calmed him quickly. Then, once she knew he was listening, she spoke again. "I'm claiming my future favour."

A chill ran down his spine. "What do you want?"

"The truth."

The look in her face – he'd seen it before when her grandfather had told him to look after her. There was no escaping, no denying it, and no doubt whose bloodline she came from.

He took the glass, drank it in one swallow, and held it out to her. She refilled it, then held up her own.

"Here's how it works. I tell you something I've worked out about you, your job, my grandfather, things like that. If it's true, you take a drink. If I've got it wrong, I have to tell you something true about me that you don't know, then _I_ take a drink. Then it's your turn."

"What if I can't think of something I know about you?"

"Then it counts as getting something wrong." Rey took a sip of her own. "The drinks don't have to be too big. I want to remember what you say."

He recognised the situation. He'd been in shootouts, in standoffs where only the coolest of nerves had got him through. This would be the same.

"You start?"

"And you have to promise to be honest. Brutally, totally honest."

"As do you, Kitten."

She looked away for a moment, then back at him, her eyes glistening slightly in the firelight. He was braced for a list of crimes, perhaps a recitation of his jobs as _Capo_. He was not ready for her first statement.

"You're not fifty years old, are you, _Benjamin Organa Solo_? She grinned up at him. "Drink."

"Fifty?"

"Nor were you born in Alderaan. If you'd been born there, you'd have to be fifty now. Your mother, Leia, was, and she fought for the town just as you told me, but Anarkin Industries destroyed it in 1977. She met your father when she was running from the corrupt police there, and they married a while later. You, on the other hand, were born in Chandrilla thirty years ago. Drink."

He drank. "How?"

"I didn't spend the entire time on the computer doing classwork. You let a few too many things slip. Being here when the fires came through, for instance. Or Miss Holdo knowing to give you books about space. I wanted to find out about you, so looked up Alderaan. I had my suspicions. This confirmed it." She pulled a roll of paper from her pocket and put it on the couch between them. It unfurled slowly, revealing itself to be one of the home-made storybooks upstairs that sat with the model rockets. On the front was the title: _Further Adventures of Kylo Ren by Ben Solo_.

"I forgot I'd done that one."

"So this was your family's cabin?"

"Yes. My father grew up in the town, and inherited this land from his parents. You can't buy land inside a National Park."

"So the heating system …"

"He designed it, I helped him build it."

"Very clever. All right. Your turn."

Kylo … Ben … swirled the drink gently as he thought over the options. Suddenly a lot of things fell into place.

"You're not doing a four-year Beauty Course."

"Guilty as charged." She took a mouthful. "I'm in the advanced course to get into Engineering at Theed University. Mechanical, although I am very tempted by Mechatronic. Did you read the textbooks, or was it the calculator?"

"Neither. There's not a lot of people would talk about the _coefficient of friction_. When I realised, though, the books and calculator helped. And your homework. It's a Rube Goldberg machine."

"Heath Robinson. I'm English."

"Whatever. And something someone told me – apparently you're very good at math." He grinned. "I believe the expression was _scary intelligent_."

"Right."

"Why do you let people think … look, I hate to use stereotypes, but you act like a foolish kid without a brain in her head. I'd say _dumb blonde_ but you'd hit me. Why?"

"Protection. If people think I'm clueless and foolish and completely self-centred, they ignore me and talk in front of me. I learned so much about Poppy that way. And you." She grinned at him. "My turn again. You're working for the FBI."

" _REY!_ " He felt his heart almost stop. How long had she known? How had she …?

"It's true, isn't it? You managed to get on Poppy's good side but you've been using your position to send information back so you can take him down." She took a drink herself. "Good. I hate who he is, and what he's done all these years. I'm sorry that he's dying. I want him to pay for his crimes, not just fade away. Now he's getting out easily. That's why I wanted to go back – to look him in the eyes and tell him what I thought of him. Did you know he had one of my school friends beaten up?"

"I didn't." Ben took a drink. "How did that happen?"

"We were in Chemistry class, and Snap Wexler accidentally spilled some hot sulphur on me. It stung like crazy and I had to go to the hospital to get it checked. When I went back to school, Snap was away, and he didn't return. I heard he'd been jumped on the way home and beaten badly. Broke both arms and his nose. He didn't know why, and I didn't at the time – we all thought it was just a mugging, although they didn't take anything. But Poppy told me years later." She rubbed her eyes. "That was one of the reasons I had so much trouble making friends. People were scared of what would happen, like I was some sort of a vengeful angel who could take them out if they made a wrong step. And really it was Poppy and his Mob heavies."

"And how did you work that out? That I'm with the Bureau?"

"Your parents keep saying that you're in Europe somewhere, studying ancient history. But they never say which university, and they haven't seen you for four years. But you're not. Good cover story, by the way."

She took another sip, then saluted him with the glass. "Oh yes – and you organised for the assassination attempt on Poppy so you could look good."

"For once, Kitten, you're wrong. That was just me being coincidentally in the right place at the right time. Drink, and tell me something about you."

"I don't know what to say."

"If it's any help, I have a message for you."

"From?"

"Miss Phasma."

"Is she all right?"

"So far." He watched as she took a large sip of the drink. "She said you should tell me everything."

"Right. Sure."

" _Mixing backwards doesn't work._ "

"Oh. She really did."

"What does that mean?"

Rey laughed, the delighted sound of pure joy. "When she was teaching me to cook, she used to joke to always mix the cake batter one way only. That if you mix it backwards, all the milk flies out and the eggs jump back into their shells, the flour into the sifter … I knew she was making fun of me, but it was so nice to be treated like that."

"So …"

"You have to promise me that she won't get in trouble."

"For what?"

"Just promise me. It's serious."

He considered. Undoubtedly he would be able to manage something. "Miss Phasma won't get in trouble for what you're about to tell me. So tell me."

There's no contract."

"You never fail to surprise me. No contract?"

She wouldn't meet his eyes now, but he could see it was from shame and disgust rather than deception. "Remember me asking about if someone kissed me?"

"Someone did?"

"Did you wonder why I wasn't terribly upset about Unkar getting killed?" Her voice was soft now. "Before she came, he was … always trying to touch me. Trying to get me alone with him. I was fourteen. I changed the lock on my bedroom door and didn't tell him, and one night he tried to get in. Ended up breaking the door down, but he made so much noise that he only had time to kiss me before the cook showed up. Gwen made sure I was safe, kept him away from me, wouldn't leave me in the house alone with him. She didn't need to move in but she did, just to keep me safe. And he found out about the engineering course, and threatened to tell Poppy unless I came to his room that night. So she told me to stay at the front of the house, and she got hold of an icepick from one of Poppy's meatworks … She told Poppy that one of the rival Dons' hitmen had come in but she had chased him out with a frypan. I didn't see Unkar dead, and I'm glad he is. When he touched me, it felt like death."

One tear started down her cheek, and he leaned over and wiped it off as gently as he could. She leaned into the touch briefly, then took another sip. "Your turn."

"I need to ask you something first."

"Go on."

"When your parents left you, where were you?"

"Near a town called Orpington, in Kent. It was a park, with play equipment and woods and kite-eating trees – I remember some boys were trying to get theirs down and they couldn't. Why?"

"Did you ever wonder why they left you?"

"Because they didn't want me any more. I told you that." She was crying again, holding her drink and looking at the fire.

As gently as he could, he touched his finger to her chin and turned her face towards him. "They wanted you. They loved you so much that they ran away from Naboo, from your grandfather, and tried to set up a new life in Britain. They wanted you to be safe, and to grow up away from the crime and corruption. Your father was in the Irish Mafia in Naboo – the South side group. There was a truce called after some shootings, and your father's boss tried to arrange a deal between the North and South sides. Your father went as bodyguard with the emissary to your grandfather's house, and saw your mother there. They fell in love, ran away and married. A bad move. Your grandfather had intended your mother to marry one of his _Capos_."

She was motionless, trapped in his words as he continued.

"So your parents flew to London. You were born there. They spent a lot of time moving from place to place, but someone must have spotted them, been following them. They tried to lose themselves in the countryside. And that day, when your father went to buy icecream, he was picked up. They waited and got your mother too. But she was sensible."

"How was she sensible? She left me behind!"

"She left you behind because she knew if you came too, they would have taken you and killed you as well."

"How can you be sure?"

"Are you sure you want to know?" He looked in her eyes, worried at how wide they were. She deserved the truth, but it wouldn't be easy.

"I don't care how bad it was. Tell me."

He took a deep breath. "Because they were tortured. There are marks on their bodies, even after all this time, that proves it. They were tortured and murdered and buried under a concrete slab in an abandoned warehouse that has only just been torn down. And it's very likely they were tortured to find out where you were. There were things left with them to show it was a Mafia killing. But they mustn't have told. If they had …"

"If they had, I would have been killed as well."

"Their bodies were found last month, Rey. In Exeter. That's two hundred miles and hours away from where they left you. I can only assume it was done deliberately to make it harder to find them if the police started looking. But as a side effect, it meant that as you were never reported missing, no-one knew who you were. _Rey Jackson_ wasn't on any missing person reports.

"Who did this?"

"No-one's sure."

"But I bet I know who organised it. Poppy." Rey's eyes stared at him, dark and haunted. "I heard things over the years, that he didn't want them to marry, that Poppy thought my mother was a whore and Dada a traitor for going against his wishes. So Mama and Dada loved me, but they left me …"

"… knowing that, horrible as the system was, you were _alive_."

The dam broke. Sobbing, Rey barely managed to put her drink down without spilling it. Ben wrapped his arms around her and held her, stroking her hair and trying to give her the love and protection that she needed. Her whole body collapsed into his, heaving and hiccoughing as seventeen years of despair and loneliness poured out with the tears.

He was holding her, stroking her hair and telling her that she was his _brave girl_ , his _strong woman_ , his _sweetheart_ , until the sobs calmed down to deep breathing. He wondered if she'd fallen asleep, but she propped herself back up with an odd expression. This was no flighty girl or thoughtless princess. In his arms was a woman determined to make her own destiny. 

"I can't let Poppy win."

Reaching over, she lifted one of the glasses – he couldn't remember whose it was – and took a sip.

"My turn."

"We haven't finished?"

"Almost."

"Go ahead then."

"You got the information through the Church. Someone in there is passing it to you. In fact, " she took another sip, "I bet you've been doing that for years anyway."

She handed the glass to him, and he took a mouthful and put the glass down. "And you worked that out how?"

"You eat meat on Fridays and you don't say prayers. But you go to Confession so often."

"You know I studied to be a priest?"

"Yeah, but you dropped out. I'm glad."

"Why?"

"You're going to have to confess so much."

"Do you want me to?"

"Have things to confess?"

She was no longer his client or his charge. "Yes."

She reached up and kissed him hard.

The kiss, brief though it was, was fire and glory and all the angels singing at once. He might not believe anymore, but the kiss was almost a conversion. When she drew back, he kept his eyes shut for a moment, still dazzled by the brightness inside him that hadn't been there for a very long time. Finally, he sat back. Picking up the glass, he passed it to her.

"My turn. Last one."

"Go on." She narrowed her eyes, looking from him to the glass. "One more secret. Make it a good one."

"I think we're both heading for the lava pits."


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben plays dirty, Rey is prepared and the coyotes are howling. And why Rey never told her grandfather what Unkar was up to.

He let her take a drink, then took the glass from her and put it on the table, far enough back that it wouldn't get knocked over. "So you lured me here under false pretences?" He wrapped one arm around Rey while he slowly ran his finger down her nose. She scrunched up her face, then kissed his finger as it touched her lips.

"I suppose I did." Leaning up, she kissed him gently. "Is that so wrong of me?"

He kissed her back, their lips joining and forming against each other as they found the right angle. He could feel her breathing matching his as he felt her skin, held her head as he gently formed himself onto her mouth. Her tongue stole tentatively across his lips, every touch a blaze of fire that left embers in the wake. She was nervous, untutored, but that only inflamed him more, and it was all he could do not to press forward, push her down on the sofa and begin what would not end until she was panting and screaming underneath him. She might only be eight years younger than him, but he knew how little experience she had from the hesitant touches and the way every contact made her gasp. He was free now, free to see her as more than just a client, but he would be doing her a disservice if he took advantage of her need to learn by teaching her too much too fast.

As if reading his mind, she pulled back a little. "Kylo … Ben … I don't know …"

"What to call me?"

"What I want." Her eyes were wide and her lips swollen as if he had bruised them, although he had tried so hard to be gentle. "I'm new at this, and it's a bit scary."

"I'm not, and it's scary for me too." He grinned, and she laughed. "I think we should probably take things very slowly. And if either of us feels uncomfortable ..."

"Say something. Consent." Rey ran her fingers around his lips, then cupped his cheek and pulled him down to her. He obliged, kissing her slowly as he learned her mouth, her sighs, the tightening of her back when he drifted off her mouth and kissed down to her ear, finishing just under it. That last left her melting in his arms as if his touch had dissolved every bone in her body. "Ben …"

This time he was the one to pull back. "That was playing dirty."

"And you knew it."

"Rey, tonight has been rough on both of us. We shouldn't take things too far too soon. I don't think either of us is in the right headspace to go all the way right now." He kissed her again, worried how she would take it, but she smiled and nodded.

"I feel as if I've been through the wringer. Being here feels so safe, but it would be too easy to go further. And to be honest, I think I've had too much to drink. Would you be terribly disappointed if we finished up soon?"

"Five minutes?"

"Five minutes of that amazing kissing, then yes." She pulled him down once more, this time confidently slipping her tongue into his mouth and running her fingers through his hair, sliding them down behind his ears and to that delicate triangle of skin below them that acted as an accelerant to the heat spreading through the rest of him. He refused to be embarrassed by the rising peak in his groin – she might be calling the shots, they might be taking things slow, but his body knew what it wanted and wasn't afraid to show it. He did try not to grind his erection too hard into her, but slipped her leg over his thigh, moving her so that she had contact over the entirety of his front. As he felt her press up against his length he heard her gasp, and she looked deep into his eyes.

"And after tonight?"

"After tonight, Kitten, we will take things one step at a time. After all, I didn't come prepared."

"I did."

" _What?_ "

"I have a box of condoms in my toiletries bag."

"What in heaven's name for?"

"I wasn't sure if Unkar was searching my room, so I kept them in my underwear drawer. If he'd found them, he would have told Poppy and then I would have found out. Being yelled at by Poppy would have been worth it. Same with you. If you had been checking my stuff, you might not have told me, but you would have told Poppy and then I'd find out so very fast." Her grin was the one from the first day at the cabin, the grin of smug triumph that told him he was not up against the clueless child he'd assumed. But one thing didn't make sense. Well, many things, but one in particular stood out.

"Why didn't you tell your grandfather that Unkar was treating you badly?"

"You've obviously never been in foster care." She grimaced. "The place I was in before Maz's, Mrs Krennic's. Her husband was always checking out her kids. I was lucky. He liked them young, but not as young as me. He sneaked into Jyn's room a couple of times, started fooling with her – she was twelve. So she told Mrs Krennic. That earned her a beating. Then she told the council worker who came once a fortnight to check on us." Pausing, she shook her head. "He asked Mrs Krennic, who told her Jyn was a lying slut who had tried to steal from her and was making things up to shift the blame. I got moved on after that, heard she ended up in Borstal. But I couldn't tell Poppy early on – I was too scared he'd send me away, and I didn't want to end up in the American system. And later, I had Gwen to look after me."

She held him tight, and he had to listen hard to hear her last words. "And I didn't want to be called _a lying slut_."

He held her tight, smoothing her hair, then he kissed her one last time. "Names are important, Kitten. What would you prefer to call me?"

She thought for a moment, then rolled off him, sat up and put out her hand. "I am very pleased to meet you, Ben Solo."

"You prefer _Ben_?"

"Because _Kylo Ren_ is the heavy, the _Capo_ my grandfather trusts and who is privy to all the secrets of the Family. _Ben Solo_ is someone who lives in this cabin, who writes stories about spaceships, who shows me sun dogs and gives me a snakeskin." She paused. "And someone I am rather fond of."

He had trouble dealing with the swelling of his heart, and turned away, grabbing the glasses off the table. "I'll bank the fire if you could take these through to the kitchen."

Rey bounced up and headed through, then dashed up the stairs while he carefully piled the wood over the fire, setting it so it would hopefully burn all night. Moving the sofa back, he pulled the clothes horse closer then made sure the fire screen was locked into position. With any luck, the clothes would be dry enough to wear on the morrow. Rey clattered back down the stairs and past him with her toiletries bag in hand, and he fought down a grin at the thought of the secret hidden within. He would no more have searched her belongings as he would have read her mail – his job was bodyguard, not prison warden.

The emotional toil of the last few hours caught up to him on the way up the stairs, and he was surprised how exhausted he was. It didn't take a moment for him grab his own toiletries bag and head back down to brush his teeth. Rey was still in the bathroom as he came in, and he handed her an empty glass.

"We both had a lot of that drink tonight. Water."

She took the glass from him, filled it and drank it, then turned and hugged him. "That's your goodnight hug. I missed it last night."

"So did I." He hugged her back, and kissed her quickly. Her lips were cold from the water, and he licked a drop off her top lip then kissed her again. "Goodnight, Kitten."

"Goodnight, Ben."

Sleep came quickly, but a scream in the middle of the night had him up and grabbing the gun as he rushed to Rey's room. Through the walls he could hear the coyotes. More than just howling, there were snarls and growls, and screams that echoed through the valley. Rey was sitting upright in bed, the bedclothes pulled to her chest and the fluffy pink onesie trembling.

"Are you all right?"

"Why are they so loud?"

"They must be close by. I don't think I've ever heard them so close, but then I've not been here at the end of the year before." He put his arm around her. "They can't get in."

She clung to him, shaking in a way he hadn't felt before. "Are you sure?"

He pushed the hair back from where it had fallen in her eyes. "The house is secure, Kitten. The doors are shut and I don't think coyotes have learned yet how to open them."

She looked up at him, her eyes wide. "I … I can't …" Then she looked away. "Could I sleep with you tonight?"

He lifted her up and carried her through to his bed, laying her gently down. "Just sleeping, though."

"I want to feel safe."

He nodded and climbed over her to settle in on the other side. Spooning her gently, he wrapped his arms around her the way he had just two nights before. Then, as now, it was for her comfort, but it felt different. Something they both wanted, and something they were both in control of. He wasn't calming a broken child. Despite her fear of the coyotes, he knew she was doing this not out of desperation but to feel secure. He pulled her closer, and she took his hand and kissed it before putting it back in place around her chest. Ben fell asleep before she did.

The morning was bright and clear, and bitterly cold. Rey was still in his arms, but somehow she had rolled over during the night and was snuggled into his chest. He lay for a few minutes watching her breathe, before he kissed her forehead and rolled away. She only murmured and spread out a little more as he eased himself out the other side of the bed and grabbed his towel and bath bag. Morning wood was more than a little uncomfortable when he really couldn't deal with it with her there. He headed down for a relaxing and evidence-removing shower before she woke.

Ten minutes and some excellent use of slippery soap later (and the sound of the shower which should have covered his muffled groan. He called her name softly when he came though, barely able to stand at the rush of feeling that was more than just an orgasm), Ben realised his error. He had no problem going back upstairs in just his towel, but he did not want to dress in front of Rey. The temptation to slip back into bed with her, to hold her and kiss her, and to take things to the next level, would be impossible to resist. For a minute he listened for any sounds from above, then he went to the lounge room where most of his clean clothes now hung anyway. He put on his briefs before he stoked up the fire. Some of the clothing was warm and dry and he donned it gratefully. The socks, alas, were still clammy, but he pulled them on anyway. Likewise, his new boots were still cold and damp, and he decided to forgo them for an hour or so. By then they should be almost dry. He padded to the kitchen and started to make breakfast, sighing at the snow-laden clouds above. They were due for a massive fall.

The stone flags on the kitchen floor had managed to conduct the cold straight through from outside. Undoubtedly the various pipes running under them had not helped. The thermometer on the back porch, old yet still reliable, showed thirteen degrees of frost, and the floor felt like it. Oatmeal ready, he called up the stairs then ducked out to quickly grab some more wood from the back door pile.

A moment later, he hissed in pain. The chill from the icy porch sent waves of pain through his feet. He managed to hold onto the logs and get back inside, but the noise brought Rey to the back door.

"What do you think you're _doing_? I don't need you to pretend to be all _macho_ with me!" She grabbed the doorhandle to open the door wider, giving him room to bring the armful of logs in. Slamming the door behind him, she ducked under his arm to get the next door that led to the lounge room and the fireplace. He managed to get his load to the hearth, and put two logs on the embers, collapsing onto the sofa immediately afterwards.

"You'll get frostbite, and _then_ what will I do?" Rey was at his feet, slowly peeling the socks off. "You don't need to prove anything to me. I know you too well already. Now stay here."

She slung the icy articles over the fireguard, then dashed to the kitchen. Ben realised he'd never seen her so competent. Everything she did, she did with an energy that made him feel old. His feet were hurting more than he thought possible – he must have frozen them on cold kitchen floor and the icy porch had just brought the sensation to the fore. That, and he'd always had an odd relationship with pain. He would know intellectually that he was feeling it for a long time before actually feeling pain – but when it did break through, it came with a fury. 

The heat from the fire was making his toes itch, but his attention was drawn by Rey coming through the back door of the lounge. She had a towel draped over her shoulder, and a large steaming plastic tub in her hands. Walking very carefully, she put the tub down in front of Ben and patted on the backs of his ankles.

"Lift your feet up, dill." She folded the towel beside her, then when Ben lifted his feet up she slid the tub underneath them. She rolled the ends of his trousers up, then lowered his feet. He flinched when his skin touched the water, and she frowned and put her hand in.

"It's not that hot. It's just that your feet are so cold."

"Sure."

"It's the skin receptors. You stunned them with cold, and they're reactivating."

"Are you sure the water isn't boiling, and you're just used to it?" He lowered his feet gingerly into the water, feeling the burn creep up the sides yet dissipate from the soles.

"If I used a thermocouple, it would barely register. Now put them in and I'll make you a cup of coffee." She hauled herself up and headed to the kitchen, and Ben moved his feet back and forth in the tub, analysing the sensations of the waves of warmth moving up and down. She was back shortly afterwards, bearing a cup of coffee and the kettle. Both had steam wafting from them.

"Lift your feet out." He didn't feel he could protest. Not if he wanted to get that cup of coffee. She handed him the mug, then once his feet were clear, she topped up the tub. "Both red – that's good."

"Nicely parboiled?"

"Not frostbitten. If any part of them were, it'd still be white." She ducked back out to the kitchen then returned with her own cup. "Thanks for the oatmeal. Do you have any slippers?"

"Not for years."

"Spare socks?"

"In my bag – wait!" It was too late. She'd put down her cup and sprinted out of the room and up the stairs before he could stop her, and he wasn't going to leap out of the tub and slosh around with wet feet. There wasn't anything incriminating in his bag – she wouldn't even find the secret compartments unless she manoeuvred the handles just _so_ – but he felt uneasy at her pawing through his underwear looking for socks. And he could hear her footsteps above him, hear if she went anywhere but the bag and then back. Especially if she headed for his wardrobe.

She was less than two minutes, her cheeks red from running up and down the stairs. "Here. I think they match." The pair she held out in front of him was thick and inviting.

Careful not to drip water on the rag rug, Ben lifted his feet out of the tub one at a time, and gently dried them before sliding on the dry socks. "They should be – I put them in tucked together."

"Well they weren't. None of your socks were."

A chill went down his spine, and he dropped his voice as low as he could. "I want you to do exactly what I tell you." Getting up quietly, he took out his revolver and checked the barrel. He'd checked it first thing that morning, but staying alive meant checking again. Holding the revolver in his right hand, he put his finger to his lips. Rey nodded, and he took her hand and led her to the old armchair at the back of the lounge. It was set against the corner of the room, which left a neat space at the back.

"Stay here. I'll come back and get you. If you hear me say _Principessa_ , you know it's a trap – stay quiet, and try and escape."

She nodded, and folded herself into the small space, becoming invisible in the dim room. As silently as he could, Ben crept methodically around the house. From the bathroom and toilet, the back porch, the kitchen, the linen cupboard and the dining area, he moved like a panther, a shadow in the dim light. Creeping upstairs, being careful to miss the fifth step, he checked her room first. Nothing seemed out of place – her textbooks lay on the desk, her bed newly made up, and no monsters underneath. She had hung some of her clothes in the wardrobe, but they were the only new additions.

In his bedroom, the duffel bag lay where Rey had heaved it onto the bed and opened it. Ben looked carefully under the bed and inside the wardrobe before checking his possessions. The items were slightly out of place as they would be after a young woman went through looking for socks, but he could see immediately what she meant. Every sock, which he had carefully balled up in pairs, now lay loose in the bottom of the bag. The compartments at each end were unopened – his telltale was still in place – but his blood was running cold. He was certain the socks had been paired up when he'd pulled out the black ones the day before, and he hadn't changed them after their excursion to town. The high ceiling did not leave any space for a person to hide in, and the house was completely enclosed around the foundations. If someone had come here, and not left, they were probably in the laundry. He grabbed his trainers and slipped them on – if he had to go on the porch, he wanted foot protection.

Creeping back down the stairs, Ben walked through the lounge room, pleased to hear no other noises. "I'm going to check outside, Rey. So far so good."

There was a slight rustle from the armchair as he passed near it. Silently slipping again past the bathroom and toilet, he checked quickly to make sure no-one had snuck in while he had been upstairs, then he opened the back door and peered around. The porch held only the pile of logs he had left there, the snow shovel and the laundry door. The small laundry, barely large enough for a dilapidated machine and a tub, was likewise empty.

But someone had been there. At the end of the porch, there was a single footprint on the pile of snow he had thrown there the day before. Rey had not been out that way, and he had stood on the porch and shovelled.

And yet there was no sign of anyone, and he was loathe to leave Rey by herself in the cabin.

Stepping back inside, he made sure the back door was properly barred. A moment later, the front door was similarly bolted, with a large plank in the slots to stop anyone opening it.

"Rey? It's fine – come out." Ben carefully uncocked and holstered his gun. Rey appeared from behind the chair, holding something beside her.

"What happened?"

"I think someone went through here while we were out." He looked once more around the room. _Paranoid_ was better than _post-mortem_. "What are you holding?"

"I took one of the pokers."

"That was probably sensible."

"Should we leave?"

"I've searched everywhere – I know this cabin and all its hiding places – I've locked us in securely. And I'm puzzled."

"Why?"

"Because if there's no contract out on _you_ , who are they after, and why?"


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Better to run or stay? A plan, and a gruesome discovery. 
> 
> TW: Gore, dead body (very minor character), snakes.

"We should have something to eat. If we're going to make it, we need to be clear-headed and ready to move."

"What do you need me to do?" Rey put her arms around him.

"Pack your satchel, and keep it with you at all times. But essential things only. That means no textbooks. We can always get you new ones."

"Got it. What's your plan?"

He shrugged. "I'm making this up as we go along. I think I should check first of all that there's no-one hiding near us, aiming to take us out when we leave. Then we head to town. I'll make a couple of calls, we go across the mountains to Sorgan and hide out there. It's a tiny outpost, about the same size as Corellia, very private."

"We can't keep running."

"It's not as if we did anything wrong." He held her for a moment. "Just because your grandfather ran most of the rackets in Naboo doesn't mean you're guilty of anything. No, it's just to keep you safe until we find out what's going on."

"You think they're still after me?"

"When your grandfather dies – and he _will_ die, most likely – there will be a turf war. You're his only grandchild." Ben kissed her forehead. "Even if you don't _want_ to take over the Family, there will be people who think you're better out of the way."

"Idiots." She stood back and put her hand on his cheek. "Right – so how long do you think you'll be outside, checking?"

"Give me an hour. Bar the back door after me. When I come back, the same rule applies."

"If you call me _Principessa_ , it's a trap." Rey nodded. "I have some things to do too. Be careful, please."

"I still want to keep you safe. That means I'll be careful." He turned his head to kiss her hand, then headed out.

The anticipated blizzard was starting. The snow was already falling in fat flakes that would build up rapidly. He cursed – they couldn't leave until he checked everything to make sure it was safe, but by then the snow would block most of the road. At least he could make sure they were secure for the meantime.

Checking under his rental and inside the trunk, Ben found no added devices, no carefully-taped explosives and no extra wires heading to the ignition. He took the opportunity to put the snow chains on – if they needed to make a fast getaway on this lot, he didn't want to have to stop and do it while they were running. A quick circuit of the house revealed nothing obvious. He hadn't seen any footprints at the front when they came back the previous afternoon, nor any new car tracks in the mud and snow, but then there hadn't been any fresh snow then, unlike now. It was quite likely they'd hidden their tire and footprints by driving carefully over his.

Nor had he spotted a car hidden near the cabin. Whoever it was may well have come out, gone through the house then left again. Panicked at the implication, he ran straight back to the under-house storage area, but the lock was in place and showed no signs of tampering. The food they'd eaten last night had come directly from town, but they'd had no ill effects from breakfast either, so either they had been lucky in their choices, or the supplies in the cabin hadn't been interfered with either. Yet. And the cabin hadn't been burned down or blown up. It made no sense.

Scanning the area around the cabin, he took note of the slight dip in the snow over the septic runoffs, and the snow starting to pile up around the chimney. Heading around the back, he verified that the covers to the water tanks were untouched and still covered in the last snowfall. A slight tang in the air gave him pause. There was no further sign of anyone else around the porch, but something was making his nose wrinkle. Turning slowly, he looked up the hill, and spotted a shape beside the woodpile.

His gun out, he made it up the hill in seconds and approached the pile with caution. There was something staining the snow and half-covered by the new fall; a form that might have once been a human being, but was now a sprawl of bones and blood and scraps of flesh. Ben sighed, realising what it was that the coyotes had been scavenging the night before. They usually wouldn't attack a live human being, but they wouldn't waste all this meat when it was just presented to them on a platter. But that meant the person had been dead when the coyotes came investigating.

Ben had seen plenty of dead bodies in his work. You didn't associate with the Mafia for four years without having to see the end result of some of the more gruesome deaths possible. After one particular incident involving Snoke and his deputies, Ben still found it difficult to use a power drill. Here, though, it seemed that most of the damage had been done post-mortem. While there was blood spilled on the snow, it was not spread any further than the pieces of body. No blood sprays, no great pools that would indicate a shooting, a stabbing … The body was face-down, and Ben reached down and pulled the shoulder until it rolled over. The face was still fairly intact, and frozen in a shape Ben had seen before. This person had died quickly and horribly. The hives over the cheeks, the improbably-swollen lips and eyelids, and the blue cast to the skin indicated some sort of allergic reaction that must have occurred rapidly.

The man was grasping a revolver in his gloved right hand, but it was what was on his left that answered the question. The head of a rattlesnake, blown off from the body part way down the neck, had embedded its fangs through the expensive leather and deep into the man's wrist, quite probably delivering the venom directly into his veins. Whether the head had been separated from the body before the bite or afterwards was a moot point – it had followed its natural instinct in either case and bitten hard. Usually rattlesnake bites affect the limb and become worse over a day, but some people were more sensitive than others.

Ben looked over the body again, searching for anything that would give him an idea who this was. There was no phone. The man's city overcoat and fine gloves gave him some clues, but the wallet proved it. Ben looked from the license to the man's swollen face and back at the picture, trying to see the similarities between the bloated features and the photograph. He knew the name – _Gideon Hask_ – one of Snoke's minions who had joined the Family two years previously. He recognised the picture, but had trouble finding a resemblance to the corpse. Finally, Ben pocketed the wallet and left the body. There was little he could do until he called the whole situation in, and it wasn't the right time. Not yet. A slight slither from the woodpile reminded him that any threat might be enough to aggravate the occupants. He had no intention of falling victim to them as well. With the slowest of non-threatening movements, he withdrew from the scene of carnage. They would probably have more coyotes that night, and he had no inclination to drag the grisly carcass down the hill and stash it under the house. The effort would probably annoy the snakes, and he did not want to be near them for that. Besides, under the house, the rats would get to it, and that would be worse. And he needed the undercroft to be clear.

But the appearance of the body led to another question. Ben doubted anyone would have been dropped off at the turnoff and walked the mile and a half to the cabin. They must have been driven in, which implied a second person. He tried to remember what the man they saw in town looked like, but then he realised the timeline wouldn't match. For that person to have left someone out at the cabin and then be back in town to be seen by Rey without Ben noticing them driving onto the property was impossible.

But what if there were three?

The cold of the day struck him again, his trainers completely useless against the chill of the snow and his shoulders becoming damp. Ben scurried down the hill and banged on the back door, calling for Rey. She took a minute to reach him, opening the door and giving him a look that was part suspicion, part interest. He stumbled into the kitchen and around to the lounge room, shedding his trainers and leaning them against the fire screen. His socks, again soaked, were quickly removed and placed beside the others to dry, and he dragged on a finally-dry clean pair while Rey put more wood on the fire then crawled up beside him on the sofa. He noted that she was wearing her satchel. Clever girl. Woman.

"You found something." She used the statement as a probe.

"Before I tell you, I have to ask. When you put the food away last night, did you notice anything odd? Packets opened that hadn't been, or the bins left ajar?"

"It was all fine." She wrinkled her brow. "I think I would have seen if stuff was moved. But that means someone _was_ here? All night? Watching us?"

"No, not watching us." He pulled out the wallet and held it for her to see. "Have you ever met this person?"

Rey looked over the photograph on the license. "I don't think so. I didn't tend to meet a lot of Poppy's lower ranks. I mean, I didn't even meet _you_ until you turned up to bring me here, and you'd been working for him for years."

"Yeah, he tended to keep the two halves of his life pretty separate. It's a safety mechanism. If one part gets exposed, they can't betray the others." Ben stretched his toes out to the fire.

"Did you kill him?"

"No." Ben shook his head and took back the wallet. "He was already dead."

"Who?"

"The snakes. He must have been checking out the woodpile. Maybe to hide there until we came home."

"But we're still not safe."

"There must be others. One. Maybe two. They're not going to take his death very well, even if it was entirely his fault … what?"

Rey had gone still, her face so white he thought she was going to faint. "I know who the man in town was."

He put his arm around her, holding her until she was ready to speak, When she did, it was with the face of a young child, finding out that the world is not safe, not logical, not there to look after you.

"It was the lollipop man."

"From Maz's?"

"He must have worked for Poppy. I always thought he was from the Coucil. But that was fifteen years ago and I've not seen him since then." She looked dazed, and he held her tight. "I know what he was doing. I found out in school – we did a unit on genetics. He was getting my DNA."

"Probably. I can't see your grandfather accepting you without a test."

"But why did Poppy send someone to find me then? Why not earlier, when my parents died? But you said he wanted me dead then? Why?" She was tossing her head to and fro, seeking answers that were beyond her sight. "And why now?"

"I can tell you some of it." Ben stroked her head until she stilled, calmed into his arms. "You had an uncle. Your mother's brother. He was a part of Palpatine's operations, being groomed up to be the successor to the Family when the old man retired or died. His name was Dominic, although his nickname was Dooku. And he was an idiot. Nothing like you, or your mother." Ben kissed the top of Rey's head. "He thought he could take the position early by having your grandfather taken down. So he arranged to hand over a folder with enough evidence to put Palpatine into prison for life to a previous undercover agent."

"He got caught?"

"The agent was on the take, made sure word got back to Palpatine. Your uncle disappeared sixteen years ago."

Most likely uncle dear was now a part of the structural elements of the tunnel under Lapine Square – the works were going on at the time and there were enough huge concrete pours that wouldn't notice the addition of an extra inclusion. Ben had heard Pryde and some of the older Family members make the joke every time they drove the tunnel.

"Your grandfather lost his son, and he must have regretted arranging for the death of his daughter. He sent people over to Britain to find you, and they did."

"And now?"

"Now it's not your grandfather doing the searching. I don't think he has much power any more. The man up the hill was one of Snoke's. Your lollipop man may well be as well. And he won't be the only one."

"Are we safe here then?"

"We can't get out until this snow clears a bit. The car won't cope." He sighed. "The good thing is that no-one can get in either, or at least not easily. I think we stay here tonight, make sure the house is locked up as tightly as we can. The walls are too thick for them to shoot their way in. It's too cold, wet and massive for them to easily set on fire. I want to double-check our supplies, and show you something important. I know this weather – there's a warmer spell coming in. We should get rain shortly that'll help wash a lot of the snow away."

"I've made plans too."

"Tell me about them."

"Later." She reached up to kiss him, then pulled him off the couch. "We need to check the supplies."

To her obvious surprise, he led her not to the kitchen but to the stairs.

"Ever wondered why the fifth stair creaked, even though all the rest are solid as a rock?" He walked up onto it, and it make the expected groan.

She said nothing, glancing around the stairs then looking up at him expectantly. He stepped back down, reached under the stair lip on the far right side, then lifted.

The stair, and the riser below, lifted up in an arc, revealing a dark space below.

"Dad was a smuggler, back in the day. His father was a moonshine man. So Dad insisted on a hidden compartment." Ben closed the stair back down carefully, holding it just above its position then dropping it the last inch. It made a satisfying _snick_ as it settled back into place. "Go far enough back, and there's a hole through the base that goes down to the foundations. Crawl around to where the tools are and you can reach the combination lock from the inside."

" _You?_ I think you mean _we_." Rey ran her fingers along the stair tread until she found the latch. "If anything happens, we'll need to get away in the car, and I can't drive."

"All right then. _We_."

They hit the kitchen and went over the supplies, deciding that caution was a wise move. Using only those groceries Rey had bought the day before, they made a sketchy lunch. As the light disappeared under the rush of wind-blown snowflakes outside, Rey declared her inability to study under such conditions, and unearthed a jigsaw puzzle from the bottom of the lounge room cupboard. Spreading it out on the dining table, she commenced sorting the pieces by colour and shape, and Ben sat at the table to help, slowing turning the side pieces into a useable frame.

"I did this one already."

"Yeah, but twenty years ago. Did you finish it?"

He declined to answer, and the afternoon slipped by slowly, marked only by the dimming of the light outside and the gradual revealing of the picture, a pattern of blue butterflies. When he'd finally completed the wings of one large specimen, Ben stretched and groaned.

"This table is the wrong height for me."

"Yeah. And that's the third time I've tried to put that edge piece in the middle. I'm not thinking very well." Rey turned the piece in her fingers.

"Shall I put the light on?"

"Please. Then go make dinner, and I'll keep going."

He left her to it, and once more made use of the tinned soups. They abandoned the jigsaw, and drank the soup from mugs while curled up in front of the fire with only the flames to light themselves up.

"Do you think … Will _his_ friends come back tonight?"

"I have no idea."

"Do we sleep?"

"In shifts. We need to have one of us alert just in case."

"Then I'm sleeping with you." Rey's face was determined, and he did not want to deny her.

"Just sleeping."

"I know. We can't get distracted." She put her mug down. "It would be terrible if we were doing anything when they showed up."

"Such as?" Ben put his own mug down as Rey reached her arms up around his neck.

"Well, just in case, we should probably sleep in our clothes. And we definitely shouldn't be kissing. That could lead to things."

"Definitely." He leaned down and touched her lips with his own. "And besides, I think you're stressed. I have a plan."


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Rey cross the boundaries on their way to the lava pits - and they have some visitors. 
> 
> TW: violence

"Tell me your plan, Ben Solo."

He kissed her hard, the fear and passion driving him suddenly to what was more of an attack than an embrace. Her response was eager, enthusiastic and energetic. He kissed down her throat, across to her ears, and gently nibbled on the lobe while she panted in his embrace and wrapped her arms around his neck. As he traced lower down the neck and towards the edge of her sweater, she pushed him back, and he worried he'd gone too far too soon until she reached to her waist and with a brisk movement, pulled off both her sweater and her top, exposing her bra and the breasts that had haunted his mind since he walked in on her in the bath less than a week before.

"Does this help?" She hesitated. He could see she was nervously following a new path, and he was not the one to stop her. Not at this point, at least.

"Plenty."

"Would you … could you go back to where you were before?"

"Where was I?"

"About here." Rey's finger touched her sternum, just above where the bra's bottom strap ran.

"Wasn't I here?" He touched a space a couple of inches above, and she took his hand and ran it down to cover her left breast.

"Compromise. Go again from here. Ohhh." As his hand reached the delicate cotton with the sweet softness underneath, he felt her shudder. Her moan inflamed him even more, and he gently squeezed the breast through the fabric as his mouth traced down between the mounds. With his lips, he pushed aside the bra on the other side, but the breasts were so small and the fabric so snug that he could not get to the soft flesh beneath. Instead, he used a combination of his teeth and the active hand to pull the bra up, releasing the breasts. He watched as the nipples contracted slightly in the cool air, and blew softly on the closest to see it again.

She was still holding his hand, but now she let go, her eyes closed and her head lolling back as she offered her body up to him. Slowly, reverently, he licked around her nipple, feeling the corrugations as he did. Once, twice he circled the nub, then he sucked at it delicately, using the small squeaks she was making as an indication that he was doing the right thing. For a minute or two he laved the nipple, the breast and the chest wall around it, making it his business to learn every inch of the sweet soft skin.

"Oi."

"You want me to stop?"

"The other side is feeling neglected. It will not do." She chuckled, and the sound aroused him further.

"I am at your command." Ben's other hand felt around the back until he located the middle of the bra strap, then he laughed. It had no hooks. Slowly he lifted it both front and back, and Rey raised her arms so that he could remove it. Then he lay her back down on the sofa and gave her other breast the attention it had been missing, while his left hand drifted down her stomach and ran around the edge of her jeans.

"Please." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Stop?"

"Keep going. Help me." She reached down and undid the buttons down the fly, opening it and reaching up to remove the jeans, but he stopped her.

"Not so far."

"I want …" Her eyes were unfocussed, and it was all he could do to limit his response. But this was not the time, nor the place, to do all he wanted to. Or all that she wanted.

"I won't make love to you here. Not now. But I can help you, if that's what you want."

"I want."

He watched the flush rise on her body as he returned his attention to her breasts, moving from one to the other as his fingers crept down her _mons veneris_ , seeking the slit at the bottom and the sensitive part there. Her mound was covered by hair like down. She was damp, soft, opening her legs to give him at least that access, and his middle finger slipped between the lips and made contact.

She jumped a little, and he held still, waiting for her to be ready.

"You stopped." Rey sounded both breathless and annoyed.

"You seem to be rather sensitive."

Blushing, she pulled him up to kiss her. "It's so different having someone else do this for me."

"Are you all right? Do you want me to continue?"

"Ben," she breathed as she kissed him again, her body reaching up for the touch to continue, and he circled her clitoris slowly, feeling the fluid build up and allow his finger to slip around. He delicately brought a second finger in to play, and delighted in the gentle swelling of her arousal as her kissing became more passionate and distracted. Running up and down her labia as far as he could reach, he started softly stroking the clitoris directly, adoring her body's reactions – the breasts peaking, the breaths accelerating, the body thrusting towards his fingers.

"Ben!" Suddenly it was a guttural cry and she threw her legs around his hips as her whole body shook. "Ben, Ben, Ben." She held him close, her kiss wild and desperate, and he slowed his fingers as she coasted through the aftershocks, taking his cue from her movements, and stopping when the whimpering ceased. There were tears in her eyes and a huge smile on her face, and she couldn't quite meet his eyes.

"Rey." Slipping his hand out from her jeans, he brought his fingers up to her mouth. She looked up at him, then took one in her mouth and sucked it clean. He did the same with the other, the taste of her like a wild musk. Kissing her, he tasted her juices on her tongue as she languidly did the same.

"Still stressed, Rey?"

She laughed. "I'm going to sleep well tonight. But what about you?"

"I'll be fine."

"I want to help."

"Upstairs." He ran his fingers through her hair, then kissed her again. "You can help me when we're upstairs."

He stood and gathered her in his arms, and she just managed to snatch her discarded clothes and satchel before he was carrying her through the front porch and around to the staircase. Once more he needed to take the stairs one at a time, and she giggled when the fifth one squeaked. Then they were at his bedroom door, into the room and he lowered her onto the bed. She scooted over to the side he normally slept on, looking up at him as he lowered himself beside her.

"I want to help," she repeated. "I know what to do, but I don't know what _you_ want me to do."

"Nothing too involved, Kitten. I … " Suddenly he was bashful, a feeling he had not felt in years. He had been brought up with hints and subtlety and supposedly-well-known conventions that often weren't. Talking openly about sex was strange, something that seemed more common with younger people but his was an older generation, still struggling with concepts such as _consent_ and _tell me what you want_. It had taken all his mental energy to bring it up on Thursday, and now he had to be as clear and as straightforward as he could.

He wrapped his arms around her, her bare chest against his sweater. "One day, in the not-too-distant future, I want to take you somewhere safe, feed you dinner, cuddle you in front of the fire, then slowly and magnificently make love to you. I know virginity is a construct, but sex is an experience, and I want your first time to be full of joy and wonder and amazing pleasure. And that is why I won't make love to you here." He sighed. "I want us to have the place and freedom to do whatever we want, or even just to hold each other and enjoy being together, and this is not that time."

"I know, Ben. I want you desperately, but not like this. Not hurriedly and fumbling and hoping nothing comes to interrupt us." She looked up at him, and he reached down and kissed her. "But you've still given me extreme pleasure tonight, and I'd like to reciprocate."

"You mean _put one over me_?"

Rey's eyes widened and she cracked up, the pair giggling like manic school children as the tension and amusement blended. "And here I was thinking you didn't understand complex mathematical concepts!" She sat up and slipped her leg across his hips so she was sitting astride him, her weight pressing on a rather sensitive part of him as she ran her hands up his chest under the sweater. "Now I'm over you."

"Should I take the sweater off?"

"Not this time. Just tell me if I'm doing anything wrong."

"What _are_ you doing?"

"Trust me." She slid her body off his groin and down his legs, and stopped when she'd cleared enough space to start undoing his trousers. The button came off easily and the zipper slid down as if it were in a rush to go somewhere. He lifted his hips and slid the trousers down to where she was sitting, but then she swatted his hands away.

"Close your eyes."

He obeyed. She moved again, pulling his trousers down to his ankles, then started running her hands over the front of his briefs.

_Always wear nice underpants, dear. What if you're in an accident and they see your pants are worn out and full of holes._ His mother's voice floated into his head, and he had to suppress another giggle. If only she'd used this as a situation. _You don't want your lover to see how badly you keep your underwear._ It made much more sense …

His train of thought was derailed immediately by the soft coolness of Rey's hands as she gently pulled his cock free of the underpants, the move slightly impeded by the fluid that had already leaked and moistened the fabric. The slight friction and the feel of her skin on his most sensitive part was almost enough to set him off.

Rey was slowly running her hands up and down his length, her fingers moving as if reading Braille, and her palms giving a welcome pressure to the sides.

"What do you like?" She paused, one thumb brushing over the top and smearing the pre-cum over the glans.

"That. Your hands. Go back to what you were doing. Please."

She did, the sensation building in him like a boiling, a rumble deep inside that pulled from his whole body and focussed on his cock like a capacitor charging. His balls tightened and he groaned. Then his eyes flew open.

She had put her mouth over the head.

Crying out her name, he felt his orgasm let loose with a force he could not hold back. It must have caught Rey by surprise as well, but she kept her mouth there while he spurted, the fluid spilling back down over his groin and onto the sheet. She kept up a gentle motion while he rode out the sensation, finally reaching down to lift her off his cock and to the side. Then he kissed her, tasting himself on her just as he had with her taste earlier.

"Did you … was that what you wanted?"

"So much." He kissed her again. "Hold on." The tissue box was still by the side of the bed, and he grabbed a handful and wiped her face, then himself.

"Is it usually that fast?" Her curiosity was genuine but he felt as if he were instructing a child.

"Not usually. You … I was incredibly turned on, and you …"

He paused, and she looked expectantly up at him.

"You are beautiful."

They kissed, long, hard, then she grinned. "Good thing I hadn't cleaned my teeth yet. I'll be back in a moment."

"I'll come with you." A second later, he realised what he had said, and blushed as she laughed out loud.

Rey threw her own clothes back on and lifted her satchel. "What about shoes?"

"Have one pair downstairs and one up here?"

"Yes." Almost before he could think, she had dived into her room and brought back a pair of black lace-up leather shoes. "These will be fine outside for a short while, if I need to."

He took advantage of the moment to rearrange himself and pull up his trousers. "You realise of course that now that I know what's in your toiletries bag, I can't stop thinking about it?"

"I figured as much." She kissed him again then headed downstairs. From the front of the house he heard dripping, and realised the rain must have started. That, and the house was not as cold as it had been other nights. The warmer wind must have arrived.

They curled together afterwards, relaxed despite what he thought they might be up against. The room was dark, save for a glimmer of light over the top of the open walls and another sliver across the bottom of the door.

"Tell me about your parents." Rey held his arm against her chest again, in what was now his favourite sleeping position.

"What did you want to know?"

"What are they like? I know your mother's some sort of political analyst, but not much more. And that they live in Chandrilla."

He chuckled. "You and Dad would get on wonderfully. He's a mechanic himself. Runs a small factory making all sorts of things for places where they don't have regular electricity or water. I helped him invent a solar-powered water pump when I was a kid. They're all the rage in Bangladesh now, I've been told." He smoothed her hair, running his fingers through the strands. "Remember that harvester you were admiring our first day in? He'd have it on the ground and in pieces, trying to analyse it, before you could believe it. He's supposed to be retired, but he can't really let go of it all. Mom's involved in women's rights and workers and equality."

"What do they think of your work?"

"It terrifies them. But they know why I had to do it." He ran his fingers down her cheek. "I needed to make a difference in my own way, not theirs."

"Ben …"

"Yes, Kitten?"

There was a pause. "What will they think of me?"

"They'll love you. They'll love your spirit and your resilience, and the way you kept your grandfather and his people in the dark for so long. They'll support your studies and Mom will want to dress you up and Dad will drag you to the garage to look at his car …"

"They won't think I'm too young?"

He laughed out loud and held her tight. "We're eight years apart, Kitten. You're older than Mom was when she met Dad, and I'm younger than he was. If they even _think_ about mentioning the age difference, I'll just remind them. Now sleep. I'll take the first watch, and wake you in four hours."

"Like a _Dungeons and Dragons_ game. Got it." She snuggled back into him and was soon breathing heavily. Ben waited a while longer, then slipped out from the bed and over to his duffel. From it, he extracted the papers from the end compartments, his spare bullets and a clean pair of socks. He put all of them into his own satchel, which he stashed beside hers. Then he pulled a thin blanket from the closet and laid it over Rey's head. Only once he knew she wouldn't be woken by the bedside light did he move it to the floor where it wouldn't be seen from outside, and pull out another of the books Miss Holdo had sent to him.

He was grumbling to himself over the misogyny present in _Stranger in a Strange Land_ when he felt something odd – a shiver, a breath – he wasn't sure. The rain had stopped an hour before, and the wind had blown away the clouds and let the moonlight through the window. Then he realised – somehow someone had got into the house, and in doing so, a cold draught had blown through the place. He closed the book quietly, and gently lifted the blanket from Rey's head. Putting a finger to her lips, he squeezed her shoulder until she woke.

Leaning over so his mouth was directly over her ear, he was about to whisper when a sound came over the open-topped walls.

The squeak of the fifth stair.

She looked at him, and he unholstered his gun, but she put a hand on it to stop him.

"Trust me," she breathed, and slipped out of bed. Padding silently to the door, she reached behind the jamb. In the dim light, he couldn't tell what she was up to.

The sliver of light across the bottom of the door flickered.

Rey's arm moved, and there was an almighty crash and the door flew open. A large dark shape fell forward and remained motionless on the floor. She stepped over it to turn on the light. On the floor lay a man, dressed in a dark coat, clutching a heavy revolver, and not moving at all. What _was_ moving was the bundle of Rey's textbooks swinging on a cord at head height in the middle of the doorway.

"It worked." Her voice was part triumphant, part horrified. "Oh hell. It's him."

"Lollipop man?" Ben glanced out the window, then ran over and pulled her down onto the floor. "You shouldn't have put on the light. Now they know."

"Who?"

"Whoever's waiting in the car." They were both speaking low, and he was listening as he did.

"Shit. Sorry. Are they still out there?"

"Yes, but not for long. They're bound to come in, try and find out what happened to their friend."

"How many?"

"I don't know. We need to go. But not out the front door."

They slipped on their shoes, grabbed their satchels and sweaters and crept down the stairs. Stopping near the bottom, Ben opened the latch on the fifth step and they climbed in, shutting it silently behind them. He used the torch facility on his phone to flash where the gap at the back was, then took Rey's hand and they scrabbled as quietly as they could across the rough boards and down to the hard-packed dirt below. The moonlight outside was visible through the gap at the top of the locked hatch to the tools, and Ben ushered Rey across to wait with him. From the hatch, they could clearly see a form on the driver's seat in a dark car not ten feet away that had driven silently to the cabin.

"Fucking silent fucking Tesla." Ben whispered into Rey's ear. "We wait until they go inside, then we go for our car and get away."

She nodded beside him. "Did I kill him?" She was murmuring – clever of her to know that carries less than a whisper – but her voice was shaky and close to tears.

"Probably not. But I'm not hanging around to find out." They huddled down on the cold dirt to wait, and he wrapped his arms around her for warmth. In the rush, they hadn't brought their coats and the undercroft was freezing cold.

It didn't take too long. Fifteen minutes later, the door to the car opened and a person stepped out. In the moonlit snowy landscape, it was easy to see the gun they were holding silhouetted against the white background. The figure crept to the back of the house, and Ben realised they must have forced the kitchen or bathroom window. He reached through the gap in the hatch, turned the lock then carefully opened the little wooden door.

"Go!"

The command was quieter than a breath, and he started towards the hire car at the front, before noticing that Rey wasn't with him. He stopped and turned as she rose up from beside the Tesla and ran towards him. Throwing themselves into it, Ben hit the start switch and turned it towards the track. Rey was looking behind at the back of the house, but Ben pushed her head down as low as he could. There were a couple of cracking noises, and he was grateful that a revolver is not particularly accurate at anything past close range. There was one _ping_ that must have been a hit, but he'd worry about it later.

He couldn't go too fast on the track, but in the light of the crescent moon he could see the dark figure run for the car, start it and turn towards them. The driver obviously gave up on secrecy as they turned on their headlights, and drove on the diagonal to try and catch the smaller, slower vehicle. But within twenty feet, the other car stopped.

Ben laughed out loud.

"What is it?"

"He's bogged in the septic!" Ben threw his head back in delight, thinking how hilarious his father would find the story. Especially now that they had a chance to tell him.

"And his tire is flat. That should give us a while." Rey was shaking beside him, the heater in the car not yet fully operational, but she held out her hand. In it lay his grandfather's knife, sharp enough to slice through the sidewall of a tire in a second. He pulled her to him and kissed her head as they drove off.

"You're clever. That was your homework upstairs, wasn't it? Like something out of _Home Alone_?"

"Those textbooks are going to cost a _fortune_ to replace," she grumbled.

They watched as the moonlight delineated the road they must follow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reciprocate – a mathematical term that means take a number and put a 1 over it. So the reciprocal of 3 is 1/3, the reciprocal of ½ is 2, etc. Also a terrible joke in my mathematical family.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to run, time to hide, time to find out how many are against them.
> 
> _I apologise for the homophobic language. Snoke is a bastard._

The car pulled into town as the eastern sky was starting to lighten behind the trees. Mist hung in the air, turning every street light into a glowing haloed sphere, and the road was once again slippery with rain. Pulling up beside the church residence, Ben gave Rey a one-armed hug, then grabbed his phone. It was only 5:30, but some calls are important.

The first one was to the saved number. He expected there to be a wait, but instead the call was picked up immediately.

"Hello?"

"Miss Phasma."

"Kylo." She paused. "Are you with Rey?"

"Is everything okay?"

"Put Rey on, please." The voice was tense, almost frantic, and Ben passed the phone over.

"Gwen?" Rey smiled as she spoke. "How are you?"

He wasn't surprised at what happened next. As the voice on the phone buzzed on, Rey's smile froze, then fell away as gently as the melting snow. She'd started looking Ben in the eye, but now she was staring out the front windscreen through the mist, unseeing, uncaring. "Thank you. I will." She passed the phone back to Ben without even a farewell, and then just sat, hunched over in an attitude that he knew too well.

"Gwen?" He'd never called her that before, but it seemed right now.

"Her grandfather died last night." Gwen sounded sad, but not despairing. "We'll make the arrangements here. She mustn't come back. It's still too dangerous."

"There's no contract though."

"Not on her, no."

Ben froze. "What? When? _Why?_ "

"You're in line for the top position. He never named a successor. It was always going to be Snoke, for years, but who's the Capo who saved his life? Who got to take over the cushiest jobs, the best-paying syndicates, the top numbers racket?" She was almost spitting at him now. "And who got to take his beloved granddaughter, his last living relative, into safety?"

"Did he say where I took her? Was it her bank card?"

"He didn't have to. Snoke still looks after the bills, including Palpatine's phone accounts. You might have turned your phone off when you weren't using it, but it was still pinging off the towers when you had it on. The call records for the home phone showed you were calling from near Drall, and they knew you've got that cabin at Corellia. You are such an idiot."

"Thanks, Gwen. Good to know you have such a high opinion of me."

"Get fucked."

"How's Hux?"

There was a pause, an indrawn breath. "He's … he's in hospital. They won't tell me. Oh god what if he dies too…" The sobs at the other end were quiet but audible.

"I'm sorry." He hadn't realised the two were close. "Are you okay?"

It took her a moment to answer. "Still negative. Still stuck inside for nearly two weeks. And I don't think I'm safe here. I'm going to ask for a hotel room, even if I have to pay."

"Use the old man's money."

"It's frozen. He's dead, remember."

"His other money. Upstairs. Bottom of his shoe rack, behind the old brown slippers. Should be enough there to keep you going for a while. Get the city's approval, tell them you're in danger and need somewhere else for the quarantine. Don't want them arresting you and putting you into a cell. Not at the moment."

That got a wry chuckle from her. "I won't ask how you knew that was there. Thanks. I owe you."

"You looked after Rey, kept her safe. Consider this a thankyou from me."

"Do what you can, Kylo. The next little while's going to be tough. But I trust you with her. She wouldn't have told you otherwise." Gwen laughed, a mournful one but a laugh all the same. "Get her to give you my real number. No point sending a message to this phone."

"No, there isn't. Goodbye, Gwen." He hung up. It was _goodbye_. He doubted if he'd ever see her or Hux again, unless it was in a courtroom, and he wouldn't be _Kylo_ then. But at least Rey could have some contact.

A quiet sob beside him reminded him of what had transpired. Rey was holding a tissue to her eyes, and he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. She broke down completely at this, weeping as she lay there and shuddering in his arms. He stroked her back, kissed her head, and let her cry it out, at least for a few minutes. She seemed to understand the limitation, straightening up and drying her eyes as best she could, although they were red-rimmed and still brimming with tears.

"I'm sorry, Kitten."

"I hated what he did, hated being in the family, but he was the only family I had. He found me. He made sure I was safe and fed. And I think he cared for me." The tears kept welling up, spilling over her cheeks and down, dripping on her sweater. "I don't know what to do."

"I'm here."

" _Don't leave me!_ " She flung herself at him, sobbing again. "I can't … help me, please."

"I won't, as much as I can." He kissed her head again. "Come on. We need to get you inside."

He set her up in her seat, then opened his door. Shivering at the damp cold, one that felt colder than the icy snap of the previous few days, he walked around and got her out, grabbing both satchels. _Of course. I haven't slept. No wonder it feels so cold._ He made sure they both had their masks on then led her slowly to the door of the church, their feet echoing in the darkness of the dawn.

Inside, there were candles lit, including the two main ones beside the altar and the sanctuary lamp itself. The whole space smelled of hot wax and incense. Good.

"Hello?"

His voice rang out, echoing off the wooden walls, and the door to the office opened. From inside, the smell of fresh coffee and some subdued voices wafted into the larger space.

"One moment, my son!" The slight Hispanic lilt was instantly recognisable, and Ben guided Rey up to the office doorway. It opened fully just as they got there, and Father Poe looked down on the pitiful weeping woman in Ben's arms, then back up at Ben.

"Keep her safe, just for a while." Ben turned Rey to him, and lifted her chin with a finger. "Kitten, this is Father Poe. He's an old friend." He kissed Rey's nose through their masks. "Her grandfather just died. I need to make some calls – I won't be long."

As he walked back through the church, he heard Poe making all the right noises. She'd get some hot coffee, someone to talk to, and prayers if she needed them. For all the bright and sometimes inappropriate ways Poe acted, he was an excellent shepherd for the lost and weary. Ben would never have made a good priest. Poe had that vocation.

Ben walked around the corner to the telephone box on the main street next to where he had parked the first day. No point giving Snoke's men any more information about his life. The number he dialled was monitored twenty-four hours a day, and was answered almost immediately.

"Ahch-To office."

"Case Genosian. Close it. Send Duros."

"How many there?"

"One blue, two green." Or at least he hoped that was all.

"We'll send a couple of Ewoks while we're getting the others up." Troops of the Endor Wildlife Officer Command. Perfect. Better than the Eisley mob. Those troopers couldn't hit the side of a barn.

"We're in Devaron, heading off for some krill. Got it?"

"Done."

He hung up. It would take a few hours for the Naboo force to get up to Corellia. He'd take Rey to Sorgan and wait until he got word it was safe to emerge. There was just one more call to make.

It was not even six o'clock, so it was no wonder the call took a few rings before it was answered. The voice at the other end was sleepy, but he dispelled that in a moment.

"Mom."

"Ben! All finished?"

"Almost. My part is done. I just need to clean up some loose ends here, then could I come visit?"

"Any time. Please. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. I … might bring someone. I don't know yet."

"When?"

"Probably a week or so."

"I know you, Ben. No point telling you to be careful. Your father's snoring – I'll tell him later. Look after yourself. I love you."

"I know." He heard her chuckle. It was an old family joke.

His dad would be furious that they didn't get to talk, but he'd want to know all the details. His mother knew to let Ben tell the story when the time was right.

"Bye, Ben."

"Goodbye, Mom."

He hung up, hearing the coins jangle in the phone. Shaking his head to try and dispel the slight dizziness from a lack of sleep, he checked his revolver then started back to the church. Mass would be at seven, and the priests wouldn't be allowed food or drink for an hour beforehand, so surely it was his duty as an ex-seminarian to assist his brothers in avoiding temptation. Besides, it smelled very much as if Poe had brought up some of the Archbishop's favourite blend. Although he and Rey needed to be on the road again before seven. Preferrably soon.

The mist was getting heavier, and starting to make his sweater damp and uncomfortable. He wasn't sure if he could make the entire drive to Sorgan in one segment without a break, and considered stopping at one of the smaller towns along the way. He ruffled his hair to get rid of the accumulating droplets – a huge mistake which pushed the moisture all the way through and coated his hand too. Hopefully they could grab a new jacket somewhere; two, actually. He and Rey could cope for the meantime, but it wasn't the most comfortable. And dammit, his new boots were back at the cabin. He doubted he'd ever see them again

Pushing the church door, he paused. The door to the office was wide open, and surely they'd want to keep it shut so that the warmth stayed in. He could hear a discussion – Poe, and it must have been the other priest. And Rey. Getting angry.

" _I am not your Principessa!_ "

Not the other priest then. And she'd heard him.

Slipping his gun out in an instant, he moved as silently as he could to the space beside the door and tried to listen.

"Sir, would you please put the gun down?" Poe's voice, conciliatory as ever. "We won't stop you leaving, but I ask you in the name of God to commit no violence here. This is a house of peace."

"Shut up, you filthy kiddie diddler."

Snoke. Fuck.

"You may call me what you wish, sir, but I still ask that you put away the gun. We can wait here as long as you like, but I should warn you that our parishioners will expect us online at seven for the early mass. If I am not there, they will start ringing, and if I do not answer, some of them will come here to find out why. I would prefer that you not be here when that happens." Ben could have smiled. Maybe he could persuade Poe to come into hostage negotiation professionally. Once they were out of this, that is.

" _Non darmi ordini, stronzo!_ _"_ The cold voice wiped any thoughts of a smile from Ben's mind. Snoke was a pitiless killer. He wondered why the slimy git hadn't killed the others already.

Oh.

Snoke was waiting for _him_.

If Ben took too long, Snoke's friends from the cabin would be here too. Ben had counted on at least a half-hour lead, but that time was almost up. Even if only one of them was coming, it was a problem. The Ewoks would take longer than that, especially as their office was higher up the mountain and the snow wouldn't be melting until daybreak. He could hope for about fifteen minutes, if he was lucky, and he had a horrible feeling his luck was out.

The door to the sacristy opened, and Father Jerd walked through, stopping the instant he saw Ben and his gun. Ben put a finger to his lips, and Father Jerd nodded, eyes wide. Ben gestured for him to go back, and out the back door, mouthing _Call the Police_ at the same time. Again the priest nodded, and backed out.

Bumping into the clothing racks as he did.

"Who's there?" The command from the office was brusque, but only served to make Father Jerd turn and run as fast as he could, out the back door and into the mist. Ben dived to the space between the two front center pews, on his stomach so he could see at least the bottom of the door. There was a squeak from within, and two pairs of shoes came out; one a set of familiar black lace-ups and the others in a high-sided brown boot. Both pairs were facing forward – Snoke had Rey in front of him, as a shield.

"You're choking me."

" _'ffanculo, zoccola._ Hey, _Pirla_! Get your holy arse out here." The brown shoes turned – Snoke was calling for Poe. The priest's cassock appeared at the door.

"Your _busone_ just made a run for it."

"He's not my type."

"You prefer _uno sgallettata?_ "

"You realise I've heard all these before." Poe was sounding nonchalant, but Ben knew that voice. His friend was close to wetting himself, yet his diplomatic skills were turned up to eleven. "I'd really like you to let the girl go. You can take me instead."

"I'll take who I want."

"You can have my grandfather's business." Rey, sounding breathless. "I don't want it. I don't understand it. It makes my head hurt." Oh clever woman. She'd made her voice higher, the bubble-headed girl of just over a week ago. Perhaps Snoke might be persuaded.

"You don't own it to give to me."

"Then who does?"

"I'm your grandfather's _Sottocapo_. It's mine."

"Then you don't need me."

There was a click – the sound of a revolver's hammer being pulled back – and a gasp from Rey. The feet in Ben's view turned around; Snoke checking out the entire church. Ben willed his heart to stop beating so loudly as he remained motionless in the footwell of the pew. A shadow appeared at the end – Poe, maskless, nodding slightly as he caught Ben's eye, then looking away then back down at him. He must have signalled to Rey where Ben was. Snoke's feet were turned away from Ben, and he hoped the gangster hadn't spotted Poe's glances.

"Where's the camera?"

"We don't leave it in the church. Father Jerd was bringing it over– that was him you heard before. He'll be calling the police from the residence. If you put this young woman down now, you'll have time to get away before they come."

"They're miles away. No, we wait."

"What for?"

"Kylo Ren." Ben tried not to flinch as Snoke spat out his pseudonym with as much venom as an angry rattlesnake.

"But why would he come here?" Poe was excelling himself, sounding bewildered.

Then a gasp. A sob. Rey. Ben was milliseconds away from leaping up and killing Snoke for hurting her, when she cried out.

"That _bastardo senza cuore_. He left."

"What?" Snoke. From the position of the shoes, it looked as if he'd turned Rey to face him, and was shaking her.

"He promised to keep me safe. Made an oath to Poppy that he'd look after his _Principessa_ but the _culo_ threw me out here and told me to look after myself as soon as he heard … as he heard that … that Poppy …" She burst into tears, and Ben saw her fall to her knees, her elbows just showing under the pew. She must have put her face in her hands. Suddenly, she was on her feet and gasping, as Poe stepped forward then stopped.

"My hair! Let go!" Rey screamed, then a slap – Snoke had hit her.

Ben's temper flared, but he calmed his breathing. The exhaustion and the cold did not help.

"If your grandfather heard you speaking filth like that – _get back, Father_ – you're as bad as your mother."

"Please." Fainter. But if Ben got up now, they'd all get shot.

"Where were you supposed to go? When was he coming back?"

"He wasn't. I was going to the librarian's, once it was daylight. I saw the light in the church. He's not. He's not … He left me. They all leave me." Rey's sobs were harsh, but Ben knew them. And knew them for what they were – false. She was acting perfectly. And she had warned him she knew he was there.

With a crash, Rey was lying on the floor, her hands over her head. He finally saw her face – tear-stained and reddened where she was slapped. Her mask was missing too.

" _Troiette!_ " The brown shoe came down on her shoulder, then the sounds of a scuffle from above. Poe must have launched into Snoke. Ben leapt to his feet, catching his shoulder on the pew as he did. Poe and Snoke were grappling; Poe with his hands around Snoke's wrist and forcing Snoke to point the gun to the ceiling. The Mafioso wasn't wearing a mask either, but that wasn't a surprise. He had always thought he was invulnerable.

They were too close. _Make sure you know what's behind your target._ Ben couldn't shoot Snoke without being sure he would miss Poe, but at least Rey was keeping down and out of the way.

The front door of the church banged open.

Ben glanced over his shoulder to see the driver from the Tesla standing there, trying to pull a gun out from under his coat. Snoke swung around, spotting Ben for the first time, and pulled his gun-hand down even against Poe's strength. Somehow the _Sottocapo_ managed to twist around enough to throw Poe off, landing a knee in the priest's groin and dropping him to the ground. The action left both of Snoke's hands pointing down, away from Ben.

It was enough. Ben had a clear shot. He started to squeeze the trigger, but Snoke still had the hammer cocked, and shot first.

Into Rey.

Ben let off an immediate double-tap into Snoke's chest. The force of the bullets were enough to throw Snoke down, but Ben couldn't stop to make sure. For now, he had two worries – the man at the door, and Rey.

He glanced down at Rey, horrified to see her left hand trying to hold her right shoulder as blood welled out and soaked her sweater. Her lips moved.

"Ben…"

There was a hard punch on Ben's side, like being tackled in a football match. Looking around, he saw the man in the doorway with his gun raised, pointed at Ben's chest. A light smoke came from the barrel. The man pulled the hammer back and aimed the gun at Ben's face, oblivious to the shadow behind him. In the first light of the morning sun, Ben watched as Father Jerd lifted a heavy candlestick and brought it down on the man's head. Then he saw the back of the pew come up to hide the view. Then the seat. There was blood on the seat – a lot of blood – and it was on his side and his arm too.

There was a heavy weight on him, pushing him to the floor, but it wasn't Poe because Poe was gasping and clutching his groin near the altar. It wasn't Snoke who was lying on the floor too, a large puddle of blood around him. And it wasn't Rey. She was looking at him from the floor on the other side of the pew in front, trying to reach under it to hold him, and tell him something. Something about not leaving. But the weight was too much to bear. Even his eyes were heavy, and he closed them and wondered why the church floor was so cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Non darmi ordini, stronzo_ – Don't give me orders, asshole (but a lot cruder in Italian)  
>  _'ffanculo, zoccola_ – Fuck off, bitch.  
>  _Pirla!_ – dickhead  
>  _busone_ – gay man receiving sex  
>  _uno sgallettata_ – young, inexperienced gay man  
>  _Sottocapo_ – Underboss (second in command to the Don)  
>  _bastardo senza cuore_ – Heartless Bastard  
>  _Troiette!_ – Slut
> 
> My thanks again to Miss Boss Woman Sir, and to Pamela the Pink, for their help with the Italian. Although how do such sweet women know so many naughty words?


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A year later, the ends are tied up. Including one that was not loose to begin with.

"Tonight on _Naboo's News Hour,_ our special report on FBI Operation Genosian and how the mob in Naboo were shut down after the church shootout in the backstate town of Corellia just one year ago. I will be welcoming a special guest, Rey Jackson, but before that let us show you a summary of the events that led up to the desecration of the Corellia Church of Saint Padme and the arrests that resulted from it."

Presenter Mon Mothma sat in front of a lurid screen showing the bloodstained floor in the church, complete with bent candlestick and dropped guns. An outline showed where one body had lain at the very front of the pews, and yellow tape was strung everywhere.

"Some of the report we are showing includes accusations of crimes committed by a number of the Palpatine Family organisation who were killed in the subsequent conflicts. We would like to remind viewers that while each of these accusations were made by more than one person, some of those so accused are not able to defend themselves and thus no charges were laid, and no assumptions of guilt should be made about the dead."

Then an organisation chart showing the structure of Palpatine's family. As each member was named, their picture came to the fore.

"A contract was put out on Don Palpatine's granddaughter, Rey Jackson, by his _Sottocapo_ Snoke, hoping to destabilise the Family enough for a takeover. The alleged killer, Gideon Hask, came to the house where Miss Jackson lived while she was out at school. He allegedly murdered Unkar Plutt with an icepick he obtained from one of the Don's many meatworks, but was surprised by Miss Gwen Phasma, Miss Jackson's housekeeper."

A picture of Gwen came up, and stayed on the screen.

"Miss Phasma notified Don Palpatine, who organised for his granddaughter to be taken to a safe location by his _Capo_ Kylo Ren. Miss Phasma then relocated to Don Palpatine's house, where she and Armitage Hux, the Don's _Consigliere_ , cared for the Don during his last weeks."

The picture of Gwen zoomed out, showing that she was pushing Hux in a wheelchair. Hux, skinny and pale, was wearing oxygen cannulae and had a blanket around him.

"Hux caught Coronavirus from Don Palpatine, and spent three months in hospital, including weeks on a ventilator. He later became a major informant on the operations of the Family, with which he was intimately familiar thanks to running their legal matters for the last eight years. His testimony has confirmed many of the facts in the papers turned over to the FBI by their secret informant, whose identity has not yet been revealed."

On the organisation chart, a silhouette of a man's portrait with a large question mark over it showed up on the right, separate from the known members.

Then a fuzzy picture of a man with dark hair came up.

_In a room in Pasaana, where the afternoon sun was still streaming in the windows, Han nudged his couchmate and grinned._

_"I didn't believe it was possible, but that's a worse picture of you than the one I took on your fifth birthday."_

_"Ow. They put another picture in. That's actually some Hollywood actor, but they munged the face to make it unrecognisable. Now leave off."_

_"Sorry. I should use the other side. Still tender?"_

_"Very. Shut up. I want to watch the rest of this."_

Mon waved her hand, and a map of the state came up with Corellia on the far left. "Kylo Ren bought a cabin in the country from the Organa-Solo family eight years before. This is where he took Miss Jackson, keeping her safe at the cabin apart from infrequent journeys to town to replenish supplies and for her to access her courses at the local library."

_"So Amilyn got the papers switched all right to change the name to Kylo?"_

_"She's wasted in that library, Dad. But it did make it easy to access the town records. Did Mom have any trouble getting the papers up there?"_

_"Are you kidding? She took them up herself so she and Amilyn could spend the weekend catching up. Which reminds me – I have some books for you."_

_"Shhh."_

The shot was a street view of Corellia, and Mon's voiceover continued. "Ren made numerous calls from the location, and Snoke was able to use the phone records to locate the town. By this time the Don was in hospital, dying from the Coronavirus. Snoke and his three lieutenants – Hask, Mitaka and Wroughton – travelled to the town where they determined that Ren and Miss Jackson were in the cabin."

Now the picture was of the cabin. An arrow pointed to the woodheap up the hill behind it.

"On Friday while Ren and Miss Jackson were in town, Gideon Hask drove out to the cabin. According to testimony from Mitaka, Hask's job was to kill the occupants and torch the cabin to make it look like a lovers' quarrel gone bad."

_The picture of Hask was obviously a mug shot, and Han shook his head._

_"That's one ugly looking customer."_

_"Well, they can't show what he looked like up the hill. It was … bad. I've seen some nasty bodies in my time, but that was not good."_

"According to the testimony of Miss Jackson and the remains found at the location indicated, it would seem that while scouting the area to ensure there was no-one else there, he ran afoul of the local wildlife. His car was well hidden just inside the property, and found by the FBI when they went to investigate afterwards. When he had not returned by Saturday morning, Snoke tried to send Wroughton and Mitaka out to see what had happened, but bad weather blocked the roads and they were unable to go until Saturday night."

The footage now was of the inside of the cabin, and the books swinging in the doorway of the main bedroom.

"Ren and Miss Jackson, realising they might expect further company, readied themselves for a Sunday morning getaway if the weather allowed. Miss Jackson used the skills she had learned in her studies and, fearful of a visit by the heavies, set up a trap. When Wroughton and Mitaka arrived at the cabin during the night, Miss Jackson was able to activate the trap and disable Wroughton. She recognised him as someone who was sent to find her in Britain fifteen years earlier. It has since been confirmed that he was also a person of interest in the murder of her parents two years before that. Now that he has been sentenced in the US for his part in the murder of Kylo Ren and the attempted murder of Miss Jackson, he will finish his jail term, then will be extradited to the UK to face those charges."

The mugshot of Wroughton was particularly striking for the massive bruising around his face. It had been taken shortly after his arrest, while he was still showing the effects of the pendulum consisting of Mechanical Engineering textbooks.

_"I can't believe you thought she was studying beauty courses!" Han passed another beer across to Ben._

_"Do not get her started on the six steps to perfect skin. But you're right. She was good. She should be an actress." Ben sipped the cold draught carefully. He'd only been allowed to drink since he finished the last course of medication, and his liver's tolerance was low. _

Mon Mothma now showed shaky footage of the church, with ambulances and police cars gathered around, and yellow tape everywhere. The bottom was marked _This footage copyright Kaydel Ko Connix._

"Miss Jackson also temporarily disabled the car that Wroughton and Mitaka drove out to the cabin, and she and Kylo Ren escaped to town. There, in a call to Naboo, she discovered that her grandfather was dead and that the contract had been extended to both of them. Ren left her with the priests, with instructions to contact the librarian, Miss Amilyn Holdo, whom she had befriended whilst studying at the town library. Kylo Ren apparently made some telephone calls away from Miss Jackson at this point, then returned to the church to find Snoke holding Miss Jackson and Father Poe Dameron hostage in the office. The other priest, Father Nix Jerd, managed to raise the alarm."

The shot of the interior of the church was back, with the bloodstains on the floor at the front of the pews. Mothma's voice could not have been colder if she tried.

"In complete disregard for the sanctity of the church, and in defiance of Father Dameron's entreaties for a peaceful settlement, Snoke shot Miss Jackson. As she lay bleeding on the floor, Kylo Ren shot Snoke directly in the heart in her defence, killing Snoke immediately. It was then that Mitaka came into the church, having finally made his way from the cabin a half hour behind Kylo and Miss Jackson. He shot Kylo Ren in the side, mortally wounding the _Capo_. Father Jerd then managed to incapacitate Mitaka, rendering him unconscious until the authorities arrived. Fathers Jerd and Dameron gave first aid to Miss Jackson and Ren, keeping both alive until the ambulances arrived. Unfortunately, while Miss Jackson survived her injury, Kylo Ren ultimately succumbed to loss of blood and internal injuries on the long drive to the nearest hospital in Eisley."

The footage showed Fathers Poe and Nix being embraced by the Archbishop in Naboo, then presented with the Medals of Bravery by Leia Organa.

The screens finished off with the _Naboo's News Hour_ logo, and the cameras zoomed in to Mon Monthma in her chair.

"This part of the investigation concluded last week with the testimony of Armitage Hux, and the sentencing of Wroughton and Mitaka. Hux, who had a change of heart during his weeks in hospital, was granted a pardon by Governor Ackbar on the basis of his testimony. He has since been given a new identity and placed in Witness Protection with his fiancée, Miss Gwen Phasma. Mitaka was found guilty of the murder of Kylo Ren, and several earlier murders committed at the behest of Don Palpatine and Snoke. In particular, he was responsible for the death of Moden Canady who had also turned informant, and for burying Canady's body in the emergency medical supply dumps located north of Naboo. Canady's body was found during the recent cleanup of the site, with sufficient evidence to prove Mitaka's involvement."

_"So he's not going to jail for not killing you?"_

_"He did enough other killings. Mine was just the most public."_

_"Except that you're not dead."_

_"Yet."_

The camera pulled back to show Rey sitting in a chair beside Mon, wearing a sleeveless top with a light cardigan over it.

_She looked worn and tired, and Ben cursed as he saw her clearly for the first time in a year._

_"She'll be fine." Han patted his son's arm. "They pushed the colour down to make her look worse. Remember, she's supposed to be the innocent victim here."_

_"She is."_

_"Yeah, but …"_

_"Shhh. She's speaking."_

"… and thank you for coming in." Mon was smiling gently at the young woman. "How are you, by the way. Has the wound healed?"

"Not completely." Rey slipped the cardigan off, showing fierce red lines radiating from the central bullet wound. "There was considerable damage to the bones and muscles. I still do physiotherapy regularly, but the strength in that arm is only about half what it should be."

_"I'll kill him."_

_"You already did."_

_"I don't care. I'll do it again."_

Rey shrugged the cardigan back on as Mon was speaking, although she had trouble using her left arm to do it.

"I'd like to first cover your own backstory. We heard in the summary that Wroughton was responsible for the death of your parents. When did you find that out?" The pictures up behind Mon were those that Ben had seen on the reports - Raymond and Apailana Jackson.

"Not until well after this was all over. It was part of the mystery satchel of papers that was handed to the FBI. I recognised Wroughton as the man who had come to my foster mother's home when I was seven."

"You've been in touch with Mrs. Maz since all this happened, I hear?"

"Yes. It was so lovely to hear from her. She was sorry she sent me off to live with a Mafia Don, but of course we didn't know that then."

"You also sent her a sum of money."

"To be the best foster parent ever. Because she was."

"And those papers are also the ones that blew the investigation wide open?"

"Yes. I believe they were handed in shortly after the shooting, although of course I was in no state to find out about them for some time."

_"So Poe had them hidden in that back cupboard in the church all along?" Han shook his head._

_"Of course. You remember how smart he is, Dad. Once he realised what was in them, when they were taking me off in the ambulance, he stashed them until he could take them down to Naboo and hand them over to Lando."_

_"Aren't there rules about not using the Church for things like that?"_

_"I left, remember. I'm not the one you should be asking."_

_"Oh yeah."_

"So tell us about what happened after you were shot." Mon's voice was compassionate, not at all like the hard-nosed reporter she usually presented as.

"I don't remember a lot for a while. My shoulder hurt too much, and Father Jerd had to hold a cloth on it to slow the bleeding. That was _incredibly_ painful. I'm told it took about half an hour before the ambulances showed up. By then there was a huge crowd outside the church – they were supposed to start the service at seven and of course that was the last thing on the priests' minds. Poor Father Jerd." Rey laughed, a pained laugh with little actual humour in it. "He didn't deal well with having to put his hands on a woman, but if it hadn't been for him, I would have died. He really was my saviour. I think I fainted in the ambulance. Those roads are terrible and the weather had been horrid."

"And then Miss Amilyn Holdo came to take care of you."

"She was lovely." Rey was now looking to the side, her eyes filled with tears. "I didn't have anyone left, and she was so nice. She went back to the cabin for my clothes, and stayed with me in the hospital. Then she got in touch with Senator Organa so I could be taken to Naboo and get the care I needed. She was so good to me. Leia has been sweet to me too, letting me stay with her. So many people have been kind." The tears started falling, but Rey didn't wipe them off. "My grandfather – I didn't really know who he was or what he was doing, but he did many terrible things, and yet people still looked after me."

Mon's face fell. "And now, I need to ask you the questions everyone wants answered."

Rey finally dug in her pockets and found a handkerchief. She wiped her eyes and blew her nose. "You want to know about Kylo."

"First of all, he seems to be a man of mystery. No-one's been able to find out his background, his family, where he came from. The earliest record is from eight years ago when he purchased the cabin you stayed in. After that, practically nothing until he joined your grandfather's Family and worked his way up the ranks. Do you know who he was? Did he tell you anything about his background, his family?"

"Nothing." Rey's face was confused. "No, wait. He liked Agatha Christie books, said he grew up reading them from an early age. And ohhh – he … I told him about being in the foster system, and he really understood that. Perhaps he went through it too? That was about it."

"What was he to you? Did you love him?"

_The smile was wan, the pale smile that Ben remembered so well. Once more, all he wanted to do was to rush to her and hold her. It took all his self-control to stay on the couch, watching as Rey composed herself and turned to Mon._

"He was kind and gentle. He looked after me. I've never had a family, but he was the older brother I've always wanted. He showed me how to cut down a tree, and he played board games with me, and heated up a stone when I had bad cramps, and ..." She stopped, turned away and smiled awkwardly.

"Did something happen?"

"We did something wrong."

_Ben braced himself. Yet there was something in her eyes, something he recognised. Then the smile changed. It was the one when she was playing board games, when she worked out the cabin was his, when she knew she was stirring her grandfather._

"Something at the cabin?" Mon was quiet, gentle, and as tenacious as a cat stalking its prey.

"Yes."

"With you?"

"Yes." Rey looked back, wide eyed and frightened. "He was teaching me about guns. We fired his gun into a tree in the National Park. Oh I know it was wrong! So wrong! I'm going to get in trouble about that, aren't I?"

Mon laughed. "I'm sure, considering the circumstances, that the National Park will consider leniency in this case. But you miss him?"

"I do." Rey's sad smile was back, and this time it was genuine. "He couldn't cook for shit, and he never could guess the villain in the books, but he was someone I cared about." The tears started again, pouring down her face. "Over the years, everyone I ever cared about left me. But because of Kylo, I know what really happened to my parents. And it happened with him. I know now that sometimes, if you really really love someone, you have to leave them. My parents loved me and they died but they left me so I could live. And Kylo died so that I could live. So I need to take the life they gave me – all of them – and do the best with it that I can."

Mon's eyes were damp as well, and her voice cracked as she started the wrap-up. "What will you do, Rey? You're the heir to a massive, albeit crumbling, crime empire. You've had a years' break from your studies which were, I understand, going very well. What are your plans from here?"

"I've turned over everything I can to the investigation." Rey finally wiped her eyes. "They have the records my grandfather kept. I've sold most of the houses he owned, including the one I lived in for so many years. It just felt … creepy. But I didn't sell his house. It's a large mansion on the outskirts of Naboo, and it's going to be a refuge for LGBTQI youth. Fathers Poe Dameron and Finn Smith are going to run it. I've endowed it with enough money to keep it going for a long time, because it's bad enough not having a family. If your family rejects you … well, I thought it would be a good idea."

"A lovely idea. So many of those young people went through so much during the virus, not being able to leave places where they were in danger. The vaccine seems to be working, so while things are opening up, this is a good time to have a safe place ready."

"Yes, a safe place."

"But why did you call it _Porg House_?"

Rey grinned.

_"You didn't tell her about porgs, did you?"_

_"And Wookies, Dad. Had to."_

_"Those are family jokes!"_

_"And she's part of my family now. Or she will be."_

"It's an imaginary outcast creature. So it's a house for outcasts."

"And your studies, Rey?"

"I'm transferring to Bar'leth. There's too much history in Naboo. Bad history. It's January now so I'm going to take a break and a holiday, then go and find somewhere to live, set myself up ready to start again in September. I'm going to be one of the oldest students there, but I don't care."

"And then?"

"Leia's husband Han is an inventor. He makes things that are useful in remote areas, that don't need access to power lines, like refrigerators for vaccines and septic processing systems that run with little maintenance. I'd like to be doing stuff like that." Rey's voice was now hopeful. "Maybe I'll start a foundation for it. Leia and I are going to talk about it later in the year."

"A holiday sounds nice. Where are you going?"

"I don't want the entire country to be there, so I'm not telling." This came with a laugh. "But while the end of my stay in the Endor National Park was scary, the part beforehand was lovely. Cabin in the snow, trees and mountains and fresh air. I'm going somewhere I can breathe."

Mon laughed too. "Well, we wish you all the best in this, and in your studies. Thank you for talking with _Naboo's News Hour_." She turned back to the camera. "Next week, with the irregularities in last year's elections, we look into the scandal-ridden administration of ex-President Tarkin and how the new First Order team are working to clean that up."

* * *

In Pasaana, Ben pushed himself off the couch gingerly, wincing as he stretched himself. The scar tissue was fragile and had been prone to splitting for a long time, and some of the damage underneath would never heal. While livers grow back after catastrophic injury, half of his lung and a kidney had shredded and were gone forever. That and the rest of the destruction of Mitaka's bullet meant his days in the FBI were over. But then he wouldn't have returned to active duty anyway. The time recuperating had given him as much chance to think as Hux, and the second thing he had written when he was finally allowed to was his resignation letter.

The first thing he had written was a letter to Rey.

She had been questioned extensively during the investigation and subsequent trials, and was kept under scrutiny by people on both sides. Palpatine's lawyers had tried to present her as a scheming bitch who had deliberately sabotaged her grandfather's organisation in collaboration with Kylo Ren to take it over for themselves, but as the papers had been delivered to the FBI while she was in witness protection and _Kylo Ren_ was supposedly dead, that line proved fruitless.

But he couldn't see her until it was all over.

Besides, he had recuperation to worry about. As soon as he could be safely moved, he was flown from Naboo to Pasaana, where an entire industry had grown up in post-COVID rehabilitation in the hot, dry air of the desert. _Kylo Ren_ might have died, but _Ben Solo_ had returned from Europe after a serious bout of the virus, and had been sent to the facility to give him the best possible chance of a full recovery. His father had accompanied him, his mother being busy with the care and protection of her new friend Rey.

It was very convenient that the treatment for bullet-damage to the lung was similar to the treatment for Corona's effects. Ben spent the months regaining his health and reconsidering his options.

Now, though, he had plans. Plans that involved an early night and a long drive.

The next morning, a car pulled into the small Antilles airport and parked. Han got out from the driver's side, went to the trunk and pulled out a large suitcase, leaving another and a bag of books in there. Ben came around to him and held out his hand, and Han dropped the keys in it. They were both wearing masks with a camouflage print, identical to the one Ben had been wearing when he was shot.

"Tell Mom to take it easy for a while. It's been tough for her too." They walked together across to the tiny terminal, Han slowing his steps to make sure he didn't pull ahead of Ben. Ben waited in a seat while Han answered the usual questions about health and temperature, and his bags were checked in, then then older man came to sit beside him and they watched out the window for the arrival of the propeller plane that flew daily to the airport. Looking around, Ben took note of a couple of people reading the local tabloid whose front page showed Rey crying during the interview.

"They're going to cause a fuss. Better if I wait in the car. Have a good trip, Dad."

"You too, Ben. Try to get _some_ rest." Han's eyebrows waggled, and Ben laughed, unable to keep a straight face.

"Love you, Dad."

"I know."

Ben pushed himself up with his stick, hugged his father, and hobbled out of the terminal. Overhead, the small plane's engine noises slowed down as it landed on the single runway.

When he reached the car, Ben finally looked back as he rested before finding his keys. He could see figures inside the terminal, including a small thin one coming through the arrival door and running straight to Han. There were hugs, then Han pointed out to the carpark. Ben got into the car. He wanted to see her, wanted to hold her, but they still needed to be circumspect.

And his side hurt.

He spent the next few minutes breathing slowly, willing the pain down by finding the stillpoint within him, until he heard two taps on the trunk. Pulling the lever to release the lid, he felt the car bounce as a case was thrown in and it was closed again, then the heat as the passenger door beside him opened.

She took off her mask.

"No textbooks this time?"

"Weight limits. Where are we going?"

"Somewhere that's safe, where we have plenty of time, and no-one to interrupt us."

"So, a week, you said. We'll be there a week?"

"It might be a while longer."

"A fortnight?" He did not reply, and her eyebrows shot up. "Not a whole month?"

"You deserve it." He grinned, and she leapt across the center to hold him.

"I love you …" She barely got a moment to speak as their mouths met. The kiss was long, hard and passionate, and she drew back with her eyes still shut.

Then he kissed her nose.

"I know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wroughton is from the middle name of the British actor who portrayed Stormtrooper FN-1824 in _The Force Awakens_.
> 
> So not quite the amount of lava pits that I was expecting, but it made sense to end it here. My thanks to my Italian translators, Miss Boss Woman Sir and the amazing Pink Pamela. 
> 
> Thanks also to the Discord ad-hoc writing group for their many ... helpful ... suggestions, especially when it came to Ewoks. To Maz the Tag Wrangler and Checker of Smut Levels, for BB for always being there to bounce ideas off even if I was too embarrassed for him to Beta the work this time (so all mistakes are mine), to [Jeeno2](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeeno2/profile) for enticing me to the fandom in the first place, to [GalacticIdiots](https://twitter.com/galacticidiots) for an amazing prompt, and to the lovely commenters who have been so encouraging through the process. I can't believe I've written what is in effect a short novel. 
> 
> And now I want to write more.


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